Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank will be deciding whether to exert patience at its next rate meeting or hike rates further.
Macklem held a virtual roundtable with reporters from the sidelines of the annual International Monetary Fund meetings in Marrakech, Morocco on Friday morning.
The governor previewed what the Bank of Canada’s governing council will be discussing in the lead-up to the Oct. 25 rate decision.
“What I expect it’ll focus on is, do we stay with a policy rate of five per cent and let past interest rate increases work through the economy and relieve price pressures or is the weight of the evidence of all those economic indicators, when you put them together, is it telling us that more action is needed to restore price stability,” Macklem said.
Macklem says while demand in the economy is slowing, core inflation – which strips out price volatility – has remained sticky over the last six to eight months.
“We’re not really seeing downward momentum in underlying inflation, and that is a concern,” Macklem said.
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The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate steady last month, but signalled it hasn’t closed the door to more rate hikes if needed.
Canada’s annual inflation rate was four per cent in August, while an updated figure for September is expected to be released next week.
The IMF meetings come as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues and risks escalating. When asked on the impact the conflict may have on the global economy, Macklem said it’s too early to tell.
“It’s far too early to tell. And it really depends on to what extent … this is as this escalates,” Macklem said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had a significant impact on commodity prices, fuelling the surge in inflation.
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