Five Canadian business stories to watch this week

BMO
BMO

Positive economics: The week will kick off Monday with the release of the Bank of Canada’s business outlook survey, and it wraps up Friday with the job figures for March. Economists will be looking to see if the recent string of upbeat economic news will continue.

Going once, going twice: The results of Ontario’s first cap-and-trade auction will be released Monday. Premier Kathleen Wynne has staked plenty of political capital on the program, though whether it will arouse much interest from the private sector has been questioned.

Pro pelle cutem: The Latin motto on the coat of arms for Hudson’s Bay roughly translates as “a skin for a skin.” It may be appropriate given the amount of wheeling and dealing that Canada’s oldest retailer is apparently engaged in these days (Hello Neiman Marcus, Macy’s). The company will release its fourth-quarter and year-end results after markets close Tuesday.

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The house I live in: A plot of earth, the street. Just in time for the spring homebuying season, we’ll get the latest real estate figures for the two most widely watched markets in Canada. Home prices and sales have been slipping in Vancouver in recent months, but in Toronto, they have been accelerating to the point where policy-makers at various levels are grasping for solutions.

Making bank … and angst: Four of the five big banks hold their annual general meetings this week, and there may be fireworks. Customer anger has been building since allegations arose that bank employees were signing up customers for services without their consent in order to meet sales targets. An investigation by Canada’s financial consumer watchdog is underway.

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