May 23, 2004 The Bank of Canada's Business Outlook Survey Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2004 Monica Martin Since the autumn of 1997, the regional offices of the Bank of Canada have conducted quarterly consultations with businesses across Canada. Timed to feed into the process that precedes the Bank's fixed dates for announcing monetary policy decisions, the consultations (now referred to as the Business Outlook Survey) are structured around a questionnaire which is sent to 100 firms that reflect the Canadian economy in terms of region, type of business activity, and firm size. Martin describes both the consultation process and the questionnaire and makes an initial assessment of the data gathered during the business interviews. The article includes charts and correlation tables that illustrate the responses to the key questions included in the survey. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Regional economic developments
October 22, 2005 How the Appreciation of the Canadian Dollar Has Affected Canadian Firms: Evidence from the Bank of Canada Business Outlook Survey Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2005 Jean Mair To track how firms were affected by the appreciation of the Canadian dollar in 2003 and 2004 and the steps they took in response, the Bank included supplementary questions in the quarterly Business Outlook Survey conducted by its regional offices. About half of the firms surveyed reported being adversely affected, one-quarter experienced a favourable impact, and the remainder reported no effect. Jean Mair classifies and summarizes the firms' responses, identifying the sectors that were most and least affected. Causes of the impacts are identified, as well as the actions firms took as a result of the appreciation. The article looks at these actions over time to see what they tell us about firms' adjustment process. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Balance of payments and components, Exchange rates, Recent economic and financial developments
October 25, 2005 Exports, Imports, and the Appreciation of the Canadian Dollar Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2005 Richard Dion, Michel Laurence, Yi Zheng An objective assessment of the effects of the appreciation of the Canadian dollar in 2003 and 2004 on exports and imports requires a detailed review of the numerous other factors which may have been at play. Dion, Laurence, and Zheng discuss the influences that have affected Canada's international trade over the past two years, including exchange rate movements, global and sector-specific shocks, constraints on the domestic supply of a few products, and competition from emerging economies, most notably, China. The analysis is complemented with econometric models developed at the Bank which provide statistically valid estimates of the contribution of the Canadian-dollar appreciation to the recent developments in exports and imports. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Balance of payments and components, Exchange rates, International topics
October 25, 2005 Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2005 Cover page Ready References The book is part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada. Photography by Gord Carter, Ottawa. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
May 20, 2002 Trends in Productivity Growth in Canada Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2002 Allan Crawford This article describes the major trends in the growth of labour productivity in Canada since the early 1960s and summarizes our current knowledge about the causes of the historical patterns. Particular attention is given to the period since the mid-1990s during which productivity growth has been significantly higher in the United States than in Canada. The author reviews the empirical evidence on the contribution of information and communication technology to the recent difference between Canadian and U.S. rates of productivity growth. Other determinants of a country's productivity performance, such as human capital formation and openness to international trade, are also examined. The article concludes with an assessment of the prospects for an increase in the trend rate of productivity growth in Canada over the coming years. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Productivity
May 21, 2002 Inflation and the Macroeconomy: Changes from the 1980s to the 1990s Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2002 David Longworth Over the last 10 years, the level of inflation has been much lower than in the previous two decades. At the same time, the behaviour of inflation has changed profoundly. By surveying the data and the economic research, the author first examines changes in the variability, growth rates, and behaviour of some of the major macroeconomic variables during the 1980s and 1990s. He then looks at how these changes are linked to a shift in the approach of monetary policy over the period. Lastly, he reviews the economic benefits that these changes have had for Canada. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Business fluctuations and cycles, Credibility, Inflation targets, Inflation: costs and benefits
May 21, 2002 Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2002 Cover page Japanese Hansatsu The notes on the cover range in value from 5 ryo to 50 mon and date from the late eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. The largest measures 5.5 by 16.8 centimetres. All four pieces are part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada. Photography by James Zagon, Ottawa. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
January 18, 2002 Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2001–2002 Cover page Byzantine 40-Nummi Piece The 40-nummi piece was the largest and heaviest copper coin minted under Justinian. About the size of an old Canadian silver dollar, it weighs 22.76 grams. It was struck in Constantinople (now Istanbul), the capital of the Byzantine Empire and is part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada. Photography by James Zagon, Ottawa. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
November 17, 2001 Predictability of Average Inflation over Long Time Horizons Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2001 Allan Crawford Uncertainty about the level of future inflation adversely affects the economy because it distorts the savings and investment decisions of households and businesses. Since these decisions typically involve planning horizons of many years, the adverse effects from inflation uncertainty can be reduced by adopting a policy framework that makes future inflation more predictable over long time horizons. When the inflation-control target was renewed in May 2001, the agreement affirmed that monetary policy will be directed at moving inflation to the 2 per cent midpoint of the target range over a six-to-eight-quarter horizon. The author describes how this policy commitment increases the predictability of average inflation over periods longer than one year. This relationship is illustrated using the Canadian experience from the inflation-targeting period. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Inflation targets
May 16, 2001 Core Principles for Systemically Important Payments Systems and Their Application in Canada Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2001 Clyde Goodlet Systemically important payments systems are systems that, because of the size or the nature of the payments they process, could trigger or transmit serious shocks across domestic or international financial systems if they were insufficiently protected against risk. This article describes the overall framework of core principles developed for the design, operation, and oversight of such payments systems. The article reviews the role of the task force established to develop the core principles and examines the core principles themselves. It also examines the role of central banks in overseeing major payments systems and in applying the core principles to them. The focus is on the Bank of Canada's oversight responsibilities under the Payment Clearing and Settlement Act and on Canada's systemically important payments system—the LVTS. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Research Topic(s): Payment clearing and settlement systems