On his last day as the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das shared his vision to transform India’s economy with a home-grown central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital rupee. During the farewell speech on Dec. 10, Das highlighted his six-year-long effort to capitalize on new technologies, including setting up the RBI Innovation Hub in Bengaluru and a regulatory sandbox for fintech innovation. https://activistpost.com/2024/12/india-preparing-for-a-cbdc-driven-economy-central-bank-governor-says.html

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday he's dead serious about withholding energy exports to the U.S. if president-elect Donald Trump goes ahead with his plan to hit Canadian goods with steep tariffs that could cripple the economy. Speaking to reporters at Queen's Park, Ford said Ontario sends energy — mostly electricity — to power 1.5 million U.S. homes in states like Michigan, Minnesota and New York. He said he would cut off that supply if Trump follows through on his tariff threat. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/doug-ford-tariff-threat-energy-exports-1.7408644

(Bloomberg) -- The Bank of Canada made its second straight outsize cut in interest rates and signalled policymakers are ready to slow down monetary easing. Officials led by Governor Tiff Macklem lowered the benchmark overnight rate by 50 basis points to 3.25% on Wednesday, bringing borrowing costs to the top end of the range of their estimate for the neutral rate — a level that’s neither restrictive nor stimulative for the economy. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/economics/1970/01/01/bank-of-canada-cuts-key-interest-rate-by-50-bps-to-325/

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One economist says she expects the Bank of Canada to lower its key interest rate by 50 basis points (bps) on Wednesday as the bank continues to shift its focus away from inflation concerns toward stimulating a slowing economy. Citi’s Veronica Clark told BNN Bloomberg that her call for a jumbo rate cut from the central bank has not changed since its last meeting, when it lowered rates by 50 bps after three straight 25-bps cuts. “We are expecting a 50-bps cut on Wednesday, that was my call really after the October meeting when we saw a similarly large 50-bps cut,” she said in a Monday interview. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/economics/2024/12/09/restrictive-rates-no-longer-needed-expect-50-bps-cut-from-boc-economist/

“We did have one pop up in the previous quarter, but that was a pretty minor thing,” said Poloz. “And the only good news, if I caught that, is government spending. That’s not the sort of thing to build your recovery on.” Poloz said the Canadian consumer has suffered a 30 per cent increase in the cost of living following the recent inflationary period, which has reduced spending. Additionally, inflation has fallen faster than was predicted, which Poloz argues only happens during a recession. https://financialpost.com/news/economy/bank-of-canada-stephen-poloz-says-recession

"Opportunities provided by our growing economy and measures passed to ensure that the province remains the most affordable place to live, work and raise a family in Canada." Several sectors led the charge, including health care and social assistance (up 13.5%), accommodation and food services (up 13.6%), and resource industries like mining and oil (up 14.1%). https://www.westernstandard.news/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-leads-nation-with-lowest-unemployment-rate-strong-job-growth/60241

OTTAWA, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Canada's unemployment rate rose more than expected to 6.8% in November, a near-eight-year high excluding the pandemic years, even as the economy added a net 50,500 jobs, data showed on Friday, boosting chances of a large interest rate cut next week. Currency markets increased the bets for a rate cut of 50 basis points next week to 68% from 55% before the employment report was released. A rate reduction of 25 basis points is fully priced in. https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2024-12-06/canadas-jobless-rate-jumps-68-bets-50-bps-rate-cut-next-week

Canada’s economy continues to see a substantial financial drain as over $12 billion was sent abroad last year in remittances, primarily by immigrants supporting families in their home countries. This represents a striking 50% increase compared to 2013 when the figure was just over $8 billion, according to data from the World Bank. https://tnc.news/2024/12/02/immigrants-sent-12-billion-worth-of-remittances-abroad/

From the national debt to negative jobs reports, data has been piling up that suggests America’s economic bubble is ready to burst. Now, with the Fed’s most recent round of rate cuts moving through the economy, fault lines are appearing in the commercial real estate sector. The following article was originally published by the Mises Institute. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Peter Schiff or SchiffGold. The pain is especially apparent in the so-called “CRE-CLO” bond market. CRE-CLO bonds are packaged commercial real estate mortgages comprising short-term floating rate loans. These bridge loans were recently, and most notably, used to facilitate the biggest apartment investment bubble in history, but were also used in financing other commercial real estate sectors including office, retail, hotel, industrial, and self-storage. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/commercial-real-estate-bond-distress-reaches-record-high