What it is
A resource-rich economy whose trade is bound closely to the United States. Services employ most Canadians, while energy, minerals, timber and grain are prominent in what the country exports.
What the economy is known for
- A large producer of oil and natural gas, much of it from Alberta, and of minerals, timber, wheat and canola
- Manufacturing, vehicles in particular, that is integrated with factories in the United States
- The United States buys most of what Canada sells abroad
- Household borrowing for housing is large, so interest rates are felt quickly
A description of structure, in words. No size, share or ranking is given: those are figures, and they are read at the statistical offices named below.
Its central bank and mandate
The Bank of Canada’s task is to keep inflation low, stable and predictable. The target is agreed with the federal government and renewed periodically; the Bank sets the target for the overnight rate.
Bank of Canada on Central Bank Watch
The policy rate, the last decision and the next meeting are not shown on this site: they are read at the bank’s own publication.
The releases that matter, and who publishes them
- Labour Force SurveyPublished by Statistics CanadaExplainer: Jobless rate
- Consumer Price IndexPublished by Statistics CanadaExplainer: CPI
- Gross Domestic Product, monthly and quarterlyPublished by Statistics CanadaExplainer: GDP
- Retail tradePublished by Statistics CanadaExplainer: Retail sales
- Interest rate announcement and the Monetary Policy ReportPublished by Bank of CanadaExplainer: Rates
- Business Outlook SurveyPublished by Bank of Canada
No dates or figures are shown here: each publisher’s own calendar is the authority. The explainers are in Economic Events; a release without a link has no explainer on this site yet.
Its main stock index
S&P/TSX Composite. The main index of companies listed in Toronto, in which banks, energy and mining companies weigh heavily. It is not a GIO4X instrument.
GIO4X lists no instrument on a stock index of Canada. The index is named for orientation only. The indices GIO4X does list are on the Indices page.
Its currency
The currency of Canada is the Canadian dollar (CAD), issued by the Bank of Canada. GIO4X lists one currency pair that contains it; they are set out on the currency’s profile.
Words worth knowing
A reference page. Educational information, not investment advice or a recommendation to trade. It gives no figure, no ranking and no forecast.