By The Spy on
March 22, 2021
Canada’s best 5-year fixed rates are now north of 1.50% — for the first time since September. The lowest 5-year fixed rate in the nation is at 1.59% (for high-ratio mortgages in Ontario only). This rate may disappear this week, given it is priced aggressively under the market considering lender funding costs. On the uninsured side, HSBC’s fixed-rate hikes on...
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By The Spy on
February 4, 2021
Lenders are not done sacrificing profit for market share. On Thursday, we hit yet another all-time low for 5-year fixed mortgage rates: 1.25%. That’s for default-insured mortgages only (like virtually all the lowest 5-year fixed rates). Insured or not, it’s a staggeringly low price for 5-year money. At 1.25%, this offer is just 31 basis points above the 5-year swap...
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By The Spy on
December 3, 2020
Never in history has a Canadian bank advertised a mortgage rate with a zero to the left of the decimal point. Fortunately, there’s a first for everything. Effective December 4, 2020, HSBC Canada—who’s made a name undercutting its big bank competition—is launching the lowest rate in Canadian history: 0.99%. This is a milestone rate, akin to landmark rates like BMO’s...
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By The Spy on
October 28, 2020
Quick Rundown Today’s Announcement:No change to rates Overnight rate:0.25% Prime Rate:2.45% (also no change; seePrime Rate) Market Rate Forecast:No BoC hikes until at least 2023 BoC’s Headline Quote: “The Governing Council will hold the policy interest rate at the effective lower bound until economic slack is absorbed so that the 2% inflation target is sustainably achieved. In our current projection,...
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By The Spy on
October 13, 2020
—The Mortgage Report: Oct. 13— If you like definitive-sounding rate calls, here’s one: “The 2020 recession AND the 40-year bond rally are over,” declares Bank of America. Positive economic data surprises, declining uncertainty post-U.S. election and “massive monetary and fiscal policy support” will “set the stage” for higher bond yields, the bank stated in a report on Tuesday. If true,...
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By The Spy on
October 5, 2020
—The Mortgage Report: Oct. 5— Upstart iBuyer, Properly.ca, announced a $100-million credit line last week from Silicon Valley investors, enough to fund its nationwide growth, says CEO Anshul Ruparell. The company’s expansion will broaden options for people who want a no-stress way to sell their existing home while they go shopping for a new one. iBuyers, as we wrote in...
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By The Spy on
September 30, 2020
—The Mortgage Report: Sept. 30— The costs you’re expected bear to carry a new mortgage have never been higher—at least based on how lenders assess you as a mortgage applicant. Rocketing home prices and a stubbornly high “stress test rate” have pushed the basic inflation-adjusted cost to carry a home (i.e., average mortgage payment + heat + property taxes) to...
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By The Spy on
August 25, 2020
—The Mortgage Report: Aug. 25— Yes. The Question is: When? Most readers know that fixed mortgage rates follow bond yields. But it’s bond yields south of the border that are particularly influential for Canadian mortgage rates — given U.S. influence on our economy. To get to 1.49% on discounted 5-year fixed rates, we need a Canadian 5-year bond yield near...
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