Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Oct 04, 2024
Canada is falling behind the U.S. in economic growth. Up until a few years ago, Canada and its huge neighbour to the south grew by about the same annual rate. But since 2022 Canada is falling behind by most measures. What happened? The Economist wrote... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Sep 27, 2024
China entered full panic mode, announcing stimulus measures to counteract the deflationary impact of weak property prices. But those policies may not be enough to lift the economy to the 5 percent growth target. This week China announced several measures... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Sep 20, 2024
On Wednesday September 18, 2024, the U.S. Federal Reserve cut 50 basis points off its benchmark rate, making the first move to lower rates in four years. History shows that economic cycles and stock market outcomes after the first cut are divided. Either... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Sep 13, 2024
China continues to experience a significant collapse in its property sector, which is weighing heavily on Chinese families. Numerous attempts at stimulating the sector have failed. When will China’s property sector start to recover? There is a view suggesting... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Sep 06, 2024
A weakening trend for the economy in the U.S. was confirmed on Friday. A recession is likely, although the official notification of recession will not come until 2025. The Federal Reserve will start to cut interest rates later in September after declaring... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Aug 30, 2024
A massive glut of condominium apartments in Toronto threatens to sink the housing market. Condominiums were gobbled up by aggressive, highly levered speculators as a way of participating in the housing boom with minimal capital outlay. But now those apartments... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Aug 23, 2024
The U.S. election is less than 80 days away. The race is a dead heat, but only one of them will win and the impact on markets and the economy may be very different depending on who wins control of the White House, the House of Representatives and the... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Aug 16, 2024
U.S. consumer inflation has returned to normal. This week’s 2.9 percent year-over-year gain for the CPI is not low in the historical context. Expectations for more good news on inflation are unrealistic outside of recession. And interest rates will not... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Aug 09, 2024
U.S. stock markets crashed from Friday last week through Monday this week. High flying tech stocks cratered as well as the broad indexes like the S&P 500 and Japan’s Nikkei. Was this a crash of the large-cap technology sector, or does it signal the broader... Read more Published by Hilliard MacBeth on Aug 02, 2024
The Federal Reserve delayed cutting rates this week while ignoring signs of a pending recession. The U.S. economy is slowing rapidly and there is a multitude of clues that the U.S. will enter recession before the end of this year. The Federal Reserve... Read more