Behind the Headlines

Article Excerpt

The Bank of Canada held interest rates steady at 4.25% at its April meeting. The rate has remained stable since May, 2006. The Bank did note that core inflation has increased faster than expected, and will likely rise above its target rate of 2% in coming months. Core inflation excludes eight volatile components identified by the Bank of Canada, including gasoline, fuel oil and fruits and vegetables. Rising processed food prices including meat have been a factor in pushing up core inflation. Food commodity prices are up in the U.S. and globally, partly due to increasing demand for biofuels such as ethanol. That has raised prices for corn, wheat and sugar products. Still, the Bank expects the easing of pressure from housing prices to move core inflation back down to 2% by the end of this year. High inflation rates could lead to interest rate hikes. That might have a negative effect on the Canadian economy. It could slow housing activity even further due to…