The central bank is keeping a close eye on NAFTA renegotiations, competitiveness related to U.S. tax cuts and impacts on the housing market
Low interest rates have encouraged households to take on debt
Bank of Canada warns of leaving winner takes all digital economy unchecked
Many economists expect the central bank to raise the overnight rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%
The bank will announce its upcoming target on Jan. 17
Investors urged to read the fine print
The central bank pointed to encouraging job and wage growth, sturdy business investment and the resilience of consumer spending as reasons for a pending interest rate hike
A digital currency could become a cheaper alternative to debit and credit cards and other forms of payment
Inflation has been in the lower end of the central bank’s itarget bands of 1% to 3% for quite some time
Several one-time factors including below-average food inflation and the Ontario government’s reduction in electricity prices have helped keep inflation in check this year