“We believe,” affirmed Governor Mark Carney during a press conference last week to discuss the Bank of Canada’s (BoC) quarterly Monetary Policy Report, “the economy will grow this quarter.” Read More

Today, the BoC sees the Canadian economy shrinking by 2.3 percent in 2009 and growing by 3 percent in 2010. Though clearly an upgrade from where Mark Carney and company were before, and they’re now well above private economists’ consensus expectation, this optimism isn’t unbridled. Read More

Upon closing of the transaction, Great Lakes Hydro will become Brookfield Renewable Power Fund. The fund will convert to a corporation “by January 2011” and maintain its CAD1.25 per unit annual distribution via estimated cash flow of CAD100 million. A lower payout ratio will also allow the fund to grow. Read More

Three Canadian trusts cut distributions last month. Unlike last month’s cutters, however, their moves did have a hugely negative impact on share prices, as they indicated much greater business weakness than investors had expected. Read More

From a long-term perspective, Harper is good for Canadian business and good for investors in Canada. He's the top guy right now in a country that maintained active oversight of its financial system, didn’t succumb to the short-term allure of cheap and easy credit for homebuyers, and is cutting taxes. Read More

Canada is still among the strongest, if not the strongest, of the world’s developed economies. The government hasn’t had to bail out its banks, it has a strong balance sheet, and the country is blessed with significant resources to export once the global economy returns to more normal growth. These factors make “The Canada Trade” highly attractive from a US investor’s perspective. Read More

Two Canadian trusts cut distributions last month. Neither move caused much reaction in the market. Both now trade at significantly higher prices. That’s a major sea-change from the action of last fall and winter, when a record 77 reductions ripped through the Canadian Edge universe, many by repeat offenders. Read More

Trade Minister Stockwell Day spent seven days in China in April, and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon last week concluded a five-day visit. Mr. Cannon met with his counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, and also spent nearly an hour with Vice-President Xi Jinping. The Canadian foreign minister returned to Ottawa with a formal invitation from Chinese officials for Mr. Harper to come to China. Read More

Canadian National Railway's (TSX: CNR, NYSE: CNI) holds promise, as far as potentially moving oil sands product more economically than can be done via pipeline and to the extent that product can then be moved to Asian markets. Read More

One: That’s the very welcome number of distribution cuts in the Canadian Edge universe last month. Read More