May 21, 2004 Are Wealth Effects Important for Canada? Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2004 Lise Pichette Some analysts believe that a sharp rise in equity values was an important factor in the strong consumer spending between 1995 and 2000. Empirical evidence suggests, however, that consumer spending responds more to changes in housing wealth than it does to equity wealth. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Domestic demand and components
May 13, 2004 Business Outlook Survey - Spring 2004 Businesses’ expectations for the pace of economic activity over the next 12 months remain positive, although somewhat less so than in the winter survey.Supplemental questions on the appreciation of the Canadian dollar - April 2004Supplemental questions on the appreciation of the Canadian dollar - February 2004 Content Type(s): Publications, Business Outlook Survey
April 15, 2004 Monetary Policy Report – April 2004 The Canadian economy continues to adjust to developments in the global economy. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report
January 30, 2004 Annual Report 2003 At the Bank of Canada, we have worked hard over the past several years to define our goals and our methods for achieving them. We have continued to strengthen our monetary policy framework, and we have established priorities in all areas of our operations to help us meet our strategic objectives. In 2002, the Bank set out a medium-term plan for the period 2003–05. The plan’s clearly defined policy frameworks and priorities were critical in guiding our analysis and our decisions in 2003, a year in which Canadians across the country were affected by a number of severe and unanticipated events. Content Type(s): Publications, Annual Report
January 23, 2004 Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2003-2004 Cover page Brass Cash Register, 1910 The register is part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada. Photographed by Gord Carter, Ottawa. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
January 22, 2004 Monetary Policy Report Update – January 2004 Since the October Monetary Policy Report, three developments have led the Bank of Canada to modify its outlook for economic growth and inflation in Canada. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report
December 31, 2003 Summary of Government of Canada - Outstanding as at 31 December 2003 Content Type(s): Publications, Historical: Securities and loans
December 23, 2003 The Comparative Growth of Goods and Services Prices Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2003-2004 Edith Gagnon, Patrick Sabourin, Sébastien Lavoie For several decades, the prices of services have been rising more rapidly than the prices of goods in Canada and the other major industrialized countries. In 2002, this gap between the growth rates of these two components of the consumer price index (CPI) widened considerably, leading researchers to ask if this was the beginning of a trend. Analysis reveals, however, that the gap is based on short-term dynamics and that it appears to be independent of the trend in the development of the overall price level. Evidence also shows that the gap is eventually reabsorbed. The authors examine a number of potential causes for the prices of services to rise faster than those of goods. These include the more rapid pace of productivity growth in the goods sector, the greater openness of goods to foreign trade, and stronger growth in the demand for services. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Inflation and prices, International topics, Productivity
December 23, 2003 Financial System Review - December 2003 This section of the Financial System Review examines the recent performance of the Canadian financial system and the factors, both domestic and international, that are influencing it. Content Type(s): Publications, Financial Stability Report
December 22, 2003 Current Account Imbalances: Some Key Issues for the Major Industrialized Countries Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2003-2004 Jocelyn Jacob The resurgence of sizable current account imbalances in the major economies in recent years, particularly the tripling of the U.S. deficit, has led to renewed academic and public discussions about their sustainability. Jacob's main objective is to show that current account balances are simply the outcome of various relative structural and cyclical forces between trading partners. He reviews the factors behind the changes in the current account positions of the three largest industrial economies (the United States, Japan, and the euro area). Two strong determinants shaping the current account balances are the faster increase in U.S. productivity compared with that of other major economies and, more recently, the loosening in the U.S. fiscal stance. Jacob also reviews a range of outside assessments from such sources as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund, as well as the academic literature, to determine the possible risks to macroeconomic and financial stability. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Exchange rates, International topics