Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Bank of Canada deputy governor says future rate decisions more data-dependent

Share

The Bank of Canada will study the most recent economic data to gauge whether to raise interest rates further, a deputy governor said on Thursday, adding it would still move forcefully if necessary.

The central bank on Wednesday hiked its benchmark overnight rate by half a percentage point to the highest level in almost 15 years and signalled its unprecedented tightening campaign was near its end.

"We expect our decisions will be more data-dependent," Deputy Governor Sharon Kozicki said in a speech in Montreal, adding the bank was still prepared to be "forceful" with rates if necessary.

"We are moving from how much to raise interest rates to whether to raise interest rates."

The bank's next policy-setting meeting will be on Jan. 25.

Asked to clarify if being prepared to be "forceful" meant the bank was still prepared to make oversized rate moves, Kozicki said it was a hypothetical.

"If there were to be a really large shock, we would be prepared to act forcefully... to rein things in," she told reporters.

The central bank has lifted rates at a record pace of 400 basis points in nine months to 4.25 per cent - a level last seen in January 2008 - to fight inflation that is far above its target.

"With the labor market still tight and businesses still finding it easy to raise their prices, Governing Council agreed that the economy still needs a more sustained moderation of demand," Kozicki said.

On Wednesday, the bank cited still-strong growth and tight labor markets but eliminated the forward guidance it has used since it began cranking rates higher in March, dropping language that said they would have to rise further.

Inflation, which clocked in at 6.9 per cent in October, "remains too high" at more than three times the bank's 2 per cent target, Kozicki said. But three-month rates of core inflation have declined to about 3.5 per cent, Kozicki said, an indication "that momentum in inflation is easing."

"Overall, these comments don't change our tentative view that the Bank of Canada is ready to hit the pause button," said Royce Mendes, head of macro strategy at Desjardins Group.

Deliberations ahead of Wednesday's rate hike centered on how supply challenges are resolving, how higher rates are slowing demand, and how inflation and inflation expectations are evolving, Kozicki said.

"The fact that inflation is high, the fact that expected inflation is high, is... for us a reason to be taking the exact decision that we did take with 50 basis points" on Wednesday, Kozicki said.

While third-quarter growth remained strong, softening demand in interest-rate sensitive areas like housing activity are signs that tighter monetary policy is "working to rebalance supply and demand," she said.

Kozicki reiterated that starting next year, the bank will release a "summary of deliberations" in an effort to provide more transparency.

(Additional reporting by Fergal Smith in Toronto; Editing by Deepa Babington and John Stonestreet)

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The City of Calgary ended water restrictions for the city at a Sunday morning update.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected