Economy

Economy braces for deflation

High inflation strikes fear into the hearts of many economists, but its polar opposite, deflation, can be a far scarier beast as it heralds a full-out decline in asset prices, which kill productivity and growth. It appears that prices in the U.S. have indeed shifted into reverse gear, likely leading to a period of deflationary […]

By Mark Noble |November 19, 2008

4 min read

Depression comparisons unwarranted

Despite repeated comparisons to the Great Depression, the current financial crisis is unlikely to result in anything so dramatic, according to one senior ratings agency executive. The coordinated action taken by central banks and stimulus packages offered by governments should help to guide the world economy into a period more similar to the banking panic […]

By Steven Lamb |November 18, 2008

4 min read

Call it what you will — most call it a recession

Your clients have likely lost a good chunk of their net worth, jobs are scarce, and productivity and spending are down. As a little cold comfort, it’s now okay to use the R-word to describe what’s going on with the developed world, even if Canada is not officially in a recession yet. The developed world […]

By Mark Noble |November 13, 2008

5 min read

Ottawa provides more support to credit markets

On Wednesday morning, the Government of Canada and the Bank of Canada both announced additional measures to keep credit flowing in this country. The government plans to purchase up to $50 billion more of insured mortgage pools by the end of the fiscal year as part of its efforts to maintain the availability of longer-term […]

By Craig Sebastiano |November 12, 2008

2 min read