R - Urbanuralegionaleal Estate, and Transportation Economics
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Analyzing the house price boom in the suburbs of Canada’s major cities during the pandemic
We assess how location affects house prices in Canada. The gap in prices between suburbs and downtown was closing gradually before the pandemic. The gap has been closing faster since spring 2020. This finding reflects a shift in preferences toward more living space. -
Housing demand in Canada: A novel approach to classifying mortgaged homebuyers
We introduce a novel approach to categorize mortgaged homebuyers into first-time homebuyers, repeat homebuyers and investors. We show how these groups contribute to activity in Canadian housing markets, and we analyze the differences in their demographic and financial characteristics. -
Can the characteristics of new mortgages predict borrowers’ financial stress? Insights from the 2014 oil price decline
We study the relationship between characteristics of new mortgages and borrowers’ financial stress in Canada’s energy-intensive regions following the 2014 collapse in oil prices. We find that borrowers with limited home equity were more likely to have difficulty repaying debt. -
Canadian housing supply elasticities
We explain how housing supply elasticities for Canadian cities are estimated. The procedure we use exploits the systematic differences in various cities’ sensitivity to regional house-price cycles. -
Consumer Cash Withdrawal Behaviour: Branch Networks and Online Financial Innovation
The physical network of bank branches is important in how consumers manage their cash holdings. This paper estimates how consumer withdrawal behaviour responds to the distance they must travel to their branch. -
The Geography of Pandemic Containment
Interconnectedness between US states has affected the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic. We study the optimal containment policies regulating the movement of goods and people within and between states. -
COVID-19 and Implications for Automation
Occupations held by females with mid-level education face the highest risk of accelerated automation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. -
Detecting exuberance in house prices across Canadian cities
We introduce a model to detect periods of extrapolative house price expectations across Canadian cities. The House Price Exuberance Indicator can be updated on a quarterly basis to support the Bank of Canada’s broader assessment of housing market imbalances. -
Update on housing market imbalances and household indebtedness
Exceptional strength in the housing market during the pandemic is underpinning Canada’s economic recovery. However, two key vulnerabilities—housing market imbalances and elevated household indebtedness—have intensified.