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BoC Set to Hike Into a Weak Economy: What It Means for You

  Canadian Money Brief • Feature Monday, October 26, 2026 • Written ahead of the 9:45 a.m. ET decision on Wednesday, Oct. 28 The Bank of Canada is about to do something that looks backwards. Jobs are disappearing, the housing market is sluggish, and yet money markets and most economists expect the central bank to raise its key rate on Wednesday. If it happens, your budget gets squeezed from two directions at once: higher borrowing costs and a shakier job market. The short version • Expected move: +0.25 point to 2.50% on Oct. 28, up from 2.25% • Reuters poll: 56% of economists (19 of 34) call for a hike, and a majority see one more by end of March • Why now: energy-driven inflation (3.1% in September) and a bank worried it spreads • The catch: 68,300 jobs lost in September , unemployment at 6.5% Why would the bank hike when the economy is wobbling? Reuters reports the Bank of Canada is expected to raise its rate as a pre-emptive strike: the goal is to stop an oil-driven jump in p...

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Canadian Housing Starts Plunge 22% in November as Higher Rates Bite



Canadian housing starts fell by 22% in November from the previous month, missing estimates by a wide margin, as higher borrowing costs hurt groundbreaking on multiple unit and single-family detached urban homes, data from the national housing agency showed on Friday.

The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of housing starts fell to 212,624 units from a downwardly revised 272,264 units in October, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said. Economists polled by Reuters expected starts to decrease to 257,100 in November.

As the more difficult borrowing conditions and labour shortages now seem to be showing in the starts numbers, we can expect to see continued slower starts rates in the coming months, according to CMHC’s deputy chief economist Kevin Hughes.


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