Bank of Canada Sees Global Economy, Freaks Out, Cuts Rate, Warns of Financial Stability Risks, Loonie Plunges
The Bank of Canada took a good look at the Canadian economy, saw it was sinking into the mire, glanced at the collapsed prices of commodities, particularly oil, saw how they were wreaking havoc in Canada, and then looked at the global economy, particularly at China and the US, and it freaked out.
It cut its overnight rate 25 basis points to 0.5%, the second rate cut this year, and attached a gloomy view about the Canadian economy with as it said a “significant downgrade” from its last estimate issued only in April. Things are heading south fast.
In his opening statement, Governor Stephen Poloz blamed oil, China, and dropping exports, particularly to the US which is “still a puzzle that merits further study,” he said, as the swooning Canadian dollar should have pushed up exports. The three culprits:
First, Canadian oil producers have lowered their long-term outlook for global oil prices, and have cut their plans for investment spending significantly more than previously announced.
Second, China’s economy is undergoing a structural transition to slower, domestic-driven growth, which is reducing Canadian exports of a range of other commodities.
Third, Canada’s non-resource exports have also faltered in recent months. While this is partly due to the first-quarter setback in the U.S. economy, it’s still a puzzle that merits further study.
This splits the economy in two, with the “resource economy” falling off a cliff, and with the “non-resource economy” motoring forward. Alas, they’re “not independent – the cancellation of an investment in the oil patch will often lead to a hit in the manufacturing sector, for example.”
Ah yes, and the ballyhooed positive effects of lower oil prices? They “have been slow to emerge.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
