Hot Topics in Economics

Kip Beckman Principal Economist, Economic Services

The Conference Board’s most recent “How Canada Performs” report provides a ranking of the top countries in the world based on a range of economic indicators such as employment and GDP growth (see Table). Norway sits in first place while Canada ranked sixth. Other Nordic ...

Satyamoorthy Kabilan Director National Security and Strategic Foresight

The debate around what to do with Canada’s energy endowment is raging all around us. Of particular interest is what to do with the ever increasing sources of carbon-based energy sources, in the form of oil and gas, which are being ...

Danielle Goldfarb Associate Director Global Commerce Centre

The recent Bangladeshi garment factory collapse that has already killed over 500 workers was horrific—and avoidable. It is now considered the deadliest accident in the history of the garment industry. The building’s owner has now been arrested, having reportedly ignored warnings about ...

Michael Burt Director Canadian Industrial Outlook

Monopolies are something that are well understood and as a society we try to avoid, but less attention is paid to its polar opposite, the monopsony, being captive to a single buyer. A monopsony is what Canada faces when it comes to most ...

Kip Beckman Principal Research Associate, Economic Services

A few years ago, we wrote a commentary (All That Glitters Is Not Gold) suggesting that after soaring by more than 500 per cent since 2002, gold prices could be due for a correction over the medium to long term. ...

Glen Hodgson Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist Forecasting and Analysis

Occasionally when I speak to clients, I am asked "why do we actually need economic growth?" The inference is often that slower growth would mean a more sustainable future environmentally (and perhaps socially). But this question is no ...

Kip Beckman Principal Research Associate, Economic Services

Many were shocked a few weeks ago when the tiny island of Cyprus grabbed the headlines with its urgent need for a bailout. Some analysts were unaware that Cyprus even used the euro as its currency, while others couldn’t fathom the fact ...

Kip Beckman Principal Research Associate, Economic Services

In a development that is surely worth celebrating, in early March the Dow Jones Industrial Average, America’s most frequently-discussed equity index, finally rose above the high attained in the autumn of 2007—a year prior to the near-collapse in the global economy. It ...

Glen Hodgson Vice-président principal et économiste en chef Prévisions et analyses

English version 

Pourquoi le hockey de la LNH n’a rien à faire à Phoenix? Il y a quatre raisons à cela.

1. D’abord et avant tout, il n’existe pas de culture du hockey à Phoenix et cela, ...

Glen Hodgson Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist Forecasting and Analysis

Version française

I recently had the opportunity to spend a week in the Phoenix region, soaking in the sun and watching some top-level sports. In addition to seeing Canada play three games in the World Baseball Classic (and ...