MLN NewsStream

Fresh CREA figures confirm that Canada’s housing sector is once again an innocent bystander in a geopolitical bar fight, this time courtesy of Trump's tariff war.

Sales are spinning their wheels while inventory stacks up like unclaimed luggage—because when the U.S. President treats trade diplomacy like a demolition derby, buyers hit the brakes and wait for the wreckage to clear.
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"There is no doubt that the ongoing trade conflict with the U.S. has weighed on consumer confidence and the housing market across the country," said National Bank Economics, adding that "potential buyers [are] waiting for more economic visibility before acting."

In the event any sellers are still clinging to hope like it’s 2021, here's the latest reality check:

Canada's fruity-named brokerage network, Pineapple Financial (ticker: PAPL), has lost about 96% of its stock value since its IPO.

This week, its share price belly-flopped into single-digit pennies for the first time.

BMO came out last week saying 67% of Canadians are waiting for lower rates before buying a home. It's like a newbie poker player convinced they'll be dealt a royal flush if they wait just long enough.

But is this collective hesitation economic brilliance, or merely financial wishful thinking?

Apart from the facts that...

• market timing is a crapshoot
• rates could escalate in the meantime, and
• holdouts might find themselves in a bidding frenzy with fellow hesitators when sentiment shifts...

...there's another vital truth people are missing.

The bad news: Mortgage renewals in 2025-26 are set to deliver a financial sting, as outlined in the BoC's latest Financial Stability Report (FSR).

The good news: In most cases, it'll sting more like a red ant than a bullet ant. ← Click here to see a not-so-smart man challenge a bullet ant.

The FSR gave us six mortgage tidbits worth chewing on. Here they are: