The National Bank of Canada

Calm day on marketsThe Canadian dollar was stable yesterday, trading in a narrow range between 1.2510 and 1.2560. Other than a slight dip in crude oil prices, there was little in the way of...

Range of the week : 1.2300-1.2800Is the U.S. economy running out of steam? The GDP data released last week would seem to provide clear proof: growth slowed to an annualized rate of only 0.5% in the...

Last week saw WTI increase by 5% and Brent by 6%, ending oil’s best month in 7 years. Both benchmarks soared 20% in April, and have gained 75% since their lows in January. WTI traded above 45...

Fed can wait In light of the still soft global economic picture and risks to US growth and employment, we have pushed to Q4 the timing for Fed action. We have, accordingly, revised our forecasts to...

Canada – Real GDP contracted 0.1% in February, matching consensus expectations. The small decline came after an unrevised 0.6% increase the prior month. In February, goods producing industries...

Slight dip in GDP with encouraging signsAs expected, the Canadian economy shrank slightly in February after an outsized gain the previous month. Despite the slight downturn in GDP announced on Friday,...

Markets are listeningDisappointing U.S. indicators once again undermined the greenback’s performance. Durable Goods Orders and Consumer Confidence both fell short of expectations, corroborating...

It was a rough ride for Canadian equities yesterday, which lost ground for a third straight day. Nevertheless, the TSX remains one of the top-performing stock exchanges since the start of the year,...

No deal was reached in Doha on April 17, yet crude had a very strong week. Brent and WTI had increased by 12% and 16% (respectively). Both benchmarks are currently trading in the mid-$40s and are near...

Range of the week : 1.2400-1.3000Last week was relatively light in terms of important new economic data and interventions, but investors appear to be increasingly optimistic about the outlook for the...

Pleasant surprises in CanadaIt’s difficult to say whether the Canadian economy is back on the growth track, but it does continue to surprise. Last Friday, two more indicators beat...

Despite the end of the strike in Kuwait, crude oil prices continued to rise, lifting the Canadian dollar, which is now closing in on the 1.2500 mark (80 cents U.S.). Bank of Canada Governor Stephen...

The U.S. dollar remained under pressure all day yesterday, and was sold off against the other global currencies. It is well known that the Federal Reserve does not like a strong USD and is not shy...

Back to square one if you look at the closing levels for crude oil (WTI) and the USD/CAD pair, you could think that the Doha conference never took place: A rise in the currency of 200 points, followed...

Week in reviewCanada – As widely anticipated, the Bank of Canada left its overnight rate unchanged at 0.50% in April. However, the central bank revised its GDP projections and presented a first...

A volatile week in the oil market saw the WTI price increase by over 6% by Wednesday, then fall on Thursday and Friday to close the week up 1%. This movement was copied to near-perfection by Brent...