Earlier this month, one of Canada's foremost authorities on housing released its market outlook for 2020-2021. Home sales and prices are expected to regain upward momentum after a couple of challenging years while home building activity will at least see some stability, but not a comparable lift, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). Along with the outlook, the CMHC released three encouraging-looking graphs that plot the course of sales, prices and homebuilding... [read more]

HOUSEHOLD DEBT CLIMBS TO RECORD LEVELS, DRIVEN PARTLY BY HOT REAL ESTATE MARKETS The amount Canadians owe compared with how much they earn hit a new record in the second quarter, driven in part by the country's hot housing markets. TD Bank senior economist Leslie Preston said low interest rates have made borrowing more attractive, especially for homebuyers, and predicted the debt ratio could continue to trend a little higher in the next few quarters.  "We think... [read more]