Five things to watch for in Canadian business

The annual convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada kicks off on Sunday in Toronto. The four-day meet up is one of the world’s largest conventions for the mining industry with more than 1,000 exhibitors and 24,000 attendees from around the world.

> Trade-war fears

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised details on his proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. this week. Trump has said he wants a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminum, but provided few other details. The move, which some fear may spark a trade war, comes as the seventh round of the NAFTA negotiations wrap up in Mexico City on Monday.

> Interest rates

The Bank of Canada (BoC) is expected to make its latest pronouncement on interest rates on Wednesday. The announcement follows recent reports from Statistics Canada that the economy grew less than economists had expected in the fourth quarter of 2017, but that core inflation continued to tick higher in January. The central bank has raised its key interest rate target three times in the past year. It now stands at 1.25%.

> Economic data

The BoC has said its decisions will be data dependant and this week will see several key economic data points. Statistics Canada releases the international merchandise trade results for January on Wednesday, building permits for January on Thursday and jobs figures for February on Friday.

> More corporate earnings

Construction company Aecon Group Inc. releases fourth-quarter and yearend results on Tuesday. The company is facing a full national security review of its sale to a Chinese state-owned business. Other companies reporting results this week include Morneau Shepell Inc. on Wednesday and Cara Operations Ltd. on Friday.