By Julian Beltrame Canada will continue to outperform most economically advanced countries over the next two years, even as the pace slows and risks mount, the IMF says. The International Monetary Fund’s latest forecast presents Canada as a relative sea of tranquility amid rising global turbulence from European and U.S. debt issues, the aftermath of […]

Garry Marr, Financial Post Stop paying your property taxes if you’re short of cash. That advice may sound a little extreme but that’s exactly what Vancouver-based certified financial planner Clay Gillespie is telling some of his clients. “I do it all the time, it’s one way of getting equity out of your house,” says Mr. […]

Jonathan Ratner The European sovereign debt crisis, a potential hard landing in China, weak U.S. economic data, and the U.S. debt ceiling debate have provided investors with plenty to worry about. Since none of these problems look like they will be resolved in the immediate future, don’t be surprised if global financial markets continue to […]

John Morrissy  While the pace of debt accumulation continued to decline through the beginning of 2011, household debt levels still soared to a new record of $1.5-trillion in the first quarter, leaving many Canadians with lower or stagnant incomes in a “dire” situation, says a report Tuesday from the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada. […]

By Keven Drews Canada’s housing market is entering overheated territory and many Canadians could be financially hurt once interest rates begin to rise, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney is warning. The central banker on took his case for moderation on Wednesday to Vancouver, the epicentre of Canada’s hot housing market where he says home […]

The Canadian Press The TD Bank says Canadians can expect borrowing costs to remain near record lows for the rest of the year. That’s because the pace of the economic recovery is expected to slow sharply in Canada, the United States and much of the world. As such, the Bank of Canada will likely refrain […]

John Morrissy Canada’s recreational property market appears to be bouncing back from a recessionary lull as buyers seek to capitalize on equity and stock-market gains, Re/Max says in a report Monday. Demand rose 78% in the 46 markets across the country covered by the realtor’s Recreational Property Report, while sales had risen or were on […]

By Julian Beltrame Canada’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest in more than two years as a combination of more self-employed workers and fewer job seekers in May pushed the key economic marker down to 7.4 per cent. Statistics Canada said 22,300 new jobs were created last month, slightly above consensus estimates following April’s strong […]

Tom Fennell Are rising consumer debt loads the Achilles’ heel of the Canadian economy? Before we tackle that question, let’s back up a few months and revisit the lecture Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney gave the country on rising personal debt levels, and the fact that while money is cheap today, it could get […]

Amy Fontinelle Buying a home is a very emotional process, but if you allow those emotions to get the best of you, you may fall prey to a number of common home buyer mistakes. Since buying a home has many far-reaching implications – ranging from from where you will live to how hard it will […]