Canada’s economy grew faster than expected in the fourth quarter, as consumers boosted spending and businesses built up stockpiles of unsold goods.
Gross domestic product rose at a 2.4 percent annualized pace from October to December, Statistics Canada said Tuesday in Ottawa. The agency also raised third-quarter growth to 3.2 percent, from an initially reported 2.8 percent. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News forecast a 2.0 percent fourth-quarter gain, according to the median forecast.
The growth is in line with the 2.5 percent estimated by Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, who tomorrow will announce whether to follow his surprise Jan. 21 interest-rate cut with another reduction. Poloz said at the time the move was “insurance” against the risks to business and consumer spending from a plunge in crude oil prices, adding last week he has time to assess how the economy responds.
“It sets him up to stay on hold” Wednesday, Robert Kavcic, a Bank of Montreal senior economist, said by telephone from Toronto. “We just haven’t had the full impact of lower oil prices filter through the economy yet,” he said, and the central bank is “going to stand aside and see how the first quarter plays out.”
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Dean Popplewell
He has a deep understanding of market fundamentals and the impact of global events on capital markets.
He is respected among professional traders for his skilled analysis and career history as global head
of trading for firms such as Scotia Capital and BMO Nesbitt Burns. Since joining OANDA in 2006, Dean
has played an instrumental role in driving awareness of the forex market as an emerging asset class
for retail investors, as well as providing expert counsel to a number of internal teams on how to best
serve clients and industry stakeholders.
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