Economy

U.S. home sales hit 10-year high

Americans shrugged off rising mortgage rates and bought existing homes in January at the fastest pace since 2007. Home sales rose 3.3% in January from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million, reveals U.S. data from the National Association of Realtors. However, sales remain 21.5% below the all-time peak in 2005, says […]

By Staff, with files from The Associated Press |February 22, 2017

1 min read

B.C. budget surplus means tax cuts for business, individuals

Yesterday, the B.C. government introduced its 2017 budget. For fiscal 2016-17, the forecasted budget surplus is $1.5 billion — about $1.2 billion better than expected a year ago. “The largest improvement on the revenue side comes from personal income taxes and property transfer tax, which includes revenue from the 15% foreign-buyer tax effective August 2,” […]

By Staff, with files from The Canadian Press |February 22, 2017

2 min read

Economic releases and news to watch

This week, there are several business news items to keep tabs on.

By Staff |February 22, 2017

2 min read

In an uncertain world, Japan remains safe haven

If it seems like rising global unrest is unavoidable, you might take comfort in the stability offered by Japan, despite the yen’s weakness against the U.S. dollar. Read: Here’s what global experts are worried about Increasing expectations for U.S. inflation help the U.S. dollar appreciate against other major currencies, say Royce Mendes and Andrew Grantham […]

By Staff |February 22, 2017

2 min read