A new Bank of Canada poll suggested Monday that companies are optimistic about the year ahead — especially when it comes to sales growth, foreign demand and their investment plans.

The quarterly survey was conducted between mid-August and mid-September — before Canada agreed to an updated North American free trade deal that has alleviated some of the economic uncertainty.

The upbeat results were released a little over a week before the Bank of Canada’s next policy decision, which is widely expected to produce another interest rate…Click for full article

A new Bank of Canada poll suggested Monday that companies are optimistic about the year ahead — especially when it comes to sales growth, foreign demand and their investment plans.

The quarterly survey was conducted between mid-August and mid-September — before Canada agreed to an updated North American free trade deal that has alleviated some of the economic uncertainty.

The upbeat results were released a little over a week before the Bank of Canada’s next policy decision, which is widely expected to produce another interest rate…Click for full article

Home prices in the US surged 6.0% in July compared to a year ago (not seasonally-adjusted), and 0.4% compared to June, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index released this morning. The index is now 11.2% above the July 2006 peak of the first housing bubble in this millennium, “Housing Bubble 1,” which was called a “healthy” housing market during it, and was called “bubble” and “unsustainable” only after its collapse. However, collective memory changes, and now, this peak of the collapsed bubble has become the new-normal base of what is once again a “healthy” housing market. The index has surged 53% from the bottom of “Housing Bust 1”. CLICK for complete article

Home prices in the US surged 6.0% in July compared to a year ago (not seasonally-adjusted), and 0.4% compared to June, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index released this morning. The index is now 11.2% above the July 2006 peak of the first housing bubble in this millennium, “Housing Bubble 1,” which was called a “healthy” housing market during it, and was called “bubble” and “unsustainable” only after its collapse. However, collective memory changes, and now, this peak of the collapsed bubble has become the new-normal base of what is once again a “healthy” housing market. The index has surged 53% from the bottom of “Housing Bust 1”. CLICK for complete article

It’s tough being a millennial. Millennials are accused of killing entire industries: casual dining chains that should have been killed off by a prior generation, beer (sez Goldman Sachs), napkins, homeownership, Harley Davidson, banks, diamonds, and brick-and-mortar retailers. OK, things change. But there’s one thing the largest US generation ever is not killing off: urban centers. They’re flocking to them, in some case they’re gentrifying them – for better or worse – and they’re often paying sky-high rents…. CLICK for complete article