China stimulus will be too little this time Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Apr 29, 2022 China used to be an economic growth leader, with expansion rates of close to 10 percent for years, unrivaled in any large economy. During the 2008-09 global crisis the Chinese government launched a vast stimulus program that lifted China and even the... Read more
Battery costs for electric vehicles are soaring Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Apr 22, 2022 Worldwide demand for battery electric vehicles is soaring. The cost of materials needed for vehicle batteries is rising even faster. Will the cost of batteries bring the electric vehicle revolution to a sudden halt? In some countries, such as Norway,... Read more
The Bank of Canada signals the end of speculative excess Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Apr 15, 2022 The Bank of Canada (BOC) has started tightening monetary policy, with a 50 basis points hike this week. This is the end of the easy money policy that has been in place since the 1990s. Will this tightening burst the speculative bubbles in Canada? Here... Read more
Guest post: Is Canada’s new climate plan ambitious or absurd? Published by Jonathan MacLeod on Apr 08, 2022 On March 29th the Canadian government announced a plan to reduce carbon emissions across all sectors of the economy, targeting a 40-45% reduction below 2005 levels (see plan here). The government is committing to $9.1 billion in new investment towards... Read more
How to get inflation and the housing bubble under control again Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Apr 01, 2022 The current inflation surge in Canada and around the world demands answers from government. Will inflation be brought under control? How? I was invited along, with others, to present on March 28, 2022, to the Standing Committee on Finance for the House... Read more