The Bank of Canada in Ottawa. (Video screengrab from BankofCanada.ca)

Bank of Canada interest rate cut to give some borrowers relief

Effects on financial markets likely to be muted says FCC economist

The Bank of Canada trimmed its key policy rate on Wednesday to 4.75 per cent from a 23-year high of five per cent. Inflation is now running at 2.7 per cent, above the central bank's two per cent target, but down from a high of 8.1 per cent in June 2022, Reuters reported.



A significant amount of liquidity for grain farms comes from harvest still in the bin.

Are farm finances on a slippery slope?

Canadian agriculture’s balance sheet is strong, but eroding margins and rising costs may temper producers’ optimism

At the end of 2017, Canadian farm debt topped $100 billion. At the time, it was a bigger number than the national debt of 135 countries, noted Country Guide columnist Gerald Pilger. The climb hasn’t stopped. The figure rose steadily since crossing the $100-billion threshold. As of 2022, the most recent year on Statistics Canada’s

(Lightguard/E+/Getty Images)

You’re ready to roll for spring. Is your financial strategy?

SPRING Farmers face tighter margins as commodity prices plunge and input costs hold firm

Commodity prices are at least a third lower than last year and input prices are stubbornly high, so farmers will need a spring strategy to squeeze every dollar from every acre, experts warn. “There’s going to be pressure on the margins for pretty much most of the crops that we grow in Manitoba and across


(Dave Bedard photo)

Economic outlook marks hazards ahead

From interest rates to the dollar to commodity prices, here’s what Farm Credit Canada sees coming

Farm Credit Canada predicts a bit of a rocky road ahead for Canadian farmers, with input prices high, commodity prices low and interest rates not expected to drop in the short term. “The sentiment of the industry is not the greatest right now,” said Desmond Sobool, FCC’s director of economics and deputy chief economist, speaking