With three critical U.S. employment reports sidelined by the government shutdown this week, Thursday’s Challenger report—normally a second-tier, private-sector jobs survey—grabbed the spotlight. Bond yields tumbled when it revealed that October layoffs had shot through the roof, which is never reassuring unless you're in

💡See also: Mortgage Tidbits (below). The U.S. government shutdown officially became the longest in history on Wednesday, with no resolution in sight. Among other things, a prolonged shutdown cuts government spending, delays projects, derails federal payroll and kills a huge swath of data production. That is disinflationary and growth-negative,

💡See also: Mortgage Tidbits (below), including an OSFI loan-to-income update. The budget is out, and the Liberal Government is spending big this year... Because why stop now? "Investments" in economic rebuilding resulted in a projected deficit nearly double last year’s estimate. That aside, Ottawa's fiscal

💡See also: Mortgage Tidbits (below). Bond rates moved higher on Monday, buoyed in part by manufacturing data that surprised on the upside. More important is the scene being set for Tuesday’s federal budget release. Finance Minister Champagne claims it'll move Canada “from reliance to resilience” and “uncertainty