Bank Of Canada Rate Hike Expected Today

 | Jan 17, 2018 03:34AM ET

The BOC is expected to deliver an interest rate hike of 25bps today as it seeks to catch up with an economy that is flying high. BOC’s Governor Poloz will deliver his decision and Press Conference, where he will outline the factors involved in making the decision. Chief among them will be the broad underlying wage growth and strong price dynamics of the economy, coupled with excesses in the financial system. The Governor down-played NAFTA concerns in his December speech but as the Trade negotiations are on-going this week, they will remain a concern for the economy unless a positive resolution can be found. With this in mind, a somewhat dovish speech is expected today to balance strong economic performance with ongoing uncertainties, maintaining flexibility for future policy decisions. We await the BOC decision at 15:00 GMT.