{"id":45474,"date":"2024-04-01T14:50:20","date_gmt":"2024-04-01T14:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2024\/04\/01\/bank-of-canada-survey-finds-fewer-businesses-expect-a-recession\/"},"modified":"2024-04-01T14:50:20","modified_gmt":"2024-04-01T14:50:20","slug":"bank-of-canada-survey-finds-fewer-businesses-expect-a-recession","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2024\/04\/01\/bank-of-canada-survey-finds-fewer-businesses-expect-a-recession\/","title":{"rendered":"Bank of Canada survey finds fewer businesses expect a recession"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> \n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<header aria-label=\"Beginning of Article\" class=\"article-header article-header--story\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\" data-aqa=\"nav-breadcrumb\">\n<p>Breadcrumb Trail Links<\/p>\n<ol class=\"breadcrumbs__items list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\">News<\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\">Economy<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"article-header__detail\">\n<div class=\"article-header__detail__texts\">\n<p class=\"article-subtitle\">Companies and consumers more optimistic about economy as interest rate cuts near<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout callout--noindent flex-align-center flex-justify-between\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" data-evt=\"visible\" data-evt-typ=\"element_view\"><span class=\"callout__text\"> Get the latest from Barbara Shecter straight to your inbox <\/span><button class=\"button button--icon button--primary-alt\" data-id-login-redirect=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/author\/bshecter\/newsletters\/\" type=\"button\"><span class=\"button__text\">Sign Up<\/span> <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"button__icon\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 11 11\" width=\"11\"><polygon points=\"1.1 0 7 6 1.1 12 0 10.9 4.8 6 0 1.1\"\/><\/svg> <\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<p><span class=\"published-date__since\">Published Apr 01, 2024<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 <span class=\"updated-date__since\">Last updated 16\u00a0hours ago<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 <span class=\"published-date__word-count\">3 minute read<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta__bottom\">\n<div class=\"bookmark-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"popover\" data-aqa=\"popover\" data-click-to-appear=\"True\" data-container=\"\" data-container-offset=\"\" data-no-style=\"\" data-popover-component=\"\" data-position=\"top\" data-sticky=\"\" data-tail-offset=\"200\" data-tail-position=\"right\"><button class=\"popover__trigger bookmark-button\"><span class=\"save-article-button save-article-button--default\" title=\"Save article\" data-article-id=\"a15c94e8-9b03-4c15-8ce5-18f4935f7f7f\" data-evt-skip-click=\"true\"\/><\/button><\/p>\n<div aria-describedby=\"popover-desc-popover-bookmark\" class=\"popover__content\" hidden=\"\" role=\"dialog\">\n<div class=\"popover__content__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"popover__content__text\" id=\"popover-desc-popover-bookmark\">\n<div class=\"bookmark__popover__content\">\n<p>You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"popover__content__close\" data-evt-skip-click=\"true\" title=\"Close\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\" class=\"icon--close\" height=\"12\" version=\"1.1\" width=\"12\"><polygon points=\"12 0.95 11.05 0 6 5.05 0.95 0 0 0.95 5.05 6 0 11.05 0.95 12 6 6.95 11.05 12 12 11.05 6.95 6\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"featured-image\" data-aqa=\"featured-image\"><picture class=\"featured-image__ratio\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;h=423&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=6Novhb1TfYJm9VHGE3KFZA,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;h=846&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=wXXoqRxeGHSx3jhHYZfFFg 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;h=423&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=YnmE4bMZFtUEvBK4gHQQuQ,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;h=846&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=9CDXcS6cJB-K8tTdwq-V1Q 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;h=354&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=heRox5ZCU7MeqOM2rMZ80Q,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;h=708&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=un_ndlM8bxXnXd-GfnjuKw 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;h=354&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=wtf0YUcC278ImShAdCRUWQ,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;h=708&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=o8pHM4yIm9rBNKmvIpwqDA 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;h=216&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=oAYkX8hHpiR9pwuuGAp4vA,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/bay-street-0401.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;h=432&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=lCOiZcpwGETcrEe9smQ00Q 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"featured-image__caption image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Bank of Canada survey suggests higher interest rates continue to weigh on business activity, but Canada\u2019s large firms are less concerned about a steep drop-off in growth.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Peter J Thompson\/National Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">Canadian businesses faced continued weak demand in the first quarter but there are signs of returning optimism as many firms expect interest rates to come down over the next 12 months, according to the Bank of Canada\u2019s latest business outlook survey.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">In addition, indicators of business conditions, sales outlooks and employment intentions have changed direction after many quarters of decline, with expectations for improved sales supported not only by interest rate expectations but by population growth and efforts to enter new markets or develop new products, according to the report, which was published Monday.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_2\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment1951549794711152632224574750064640\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 2<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-2\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[6,6],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"6x6\" data-ad-loc=\"2\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[6,6],[320,50],[300,50],[300,250],[300,600]]\" 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class=\"identity-screen m-x-0 p-x-0 col-xs-12 col-md-6 flex-justify-center flex-align-center\" aria-live=\"assertive\">\n<section class=\"sail\" data-account-id=\"b9d3df2fccd108b5eff3c44f573b2cd6\" data-sailthru-personalization-engine=\"\" data-sailthru-personalization-engine-component=\"\"\/>\n<div class=\"m-x-0 p-x-0 col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-12 flex-align-justify-center\" data-auth-component=\"\" id=\"auth-screen-form\">\n<div class=\"identity-screen-form--active w-full flex-align-justify-center\">\n<div class=\"identity-screen-form identity-screen__content w-full\">\n<h2 class=\"blocker-title\">Sign In or Create an Account<\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"identity-divider__line\"\/><span class=\"identity-divider__text\">or<\/span><span class=\"identity-divider__line\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"identity-footer identity-screen__content m-x-0 p-x-0 col-sm-6 col-md-12\"\/><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">The uptick in sentiment, with firms reporting that business conditions improved slightly in the first quarter, follows nearly two years of deterioration, according to the report, and the improvement was widely reported across nearly all regions, sectors and firm sizes. In addition, fewer businesses are planning for a recession in Canada over the next 12 months than in the previous survey at the end of 2023.<\/p>\n<p>Among businesses anticipating that sales growth will improve in the next year, about half pointed to their expectations that interest rates will decline. And the share of firms expecting costs and selling prices to increase significantly have declined markedly from their peaks in 2022, with businesses planning smaller price increases than over the past 12 months.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=PBKVs7LAYeGbReI2YzQvTA,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=YQvt2sdUW6T-uT1aoCQsdQ 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=Fn6HdfBYLb_y009ZYfb02w,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=uWvsu5c8QvPj0GeEdv9TkQ 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=oPsRcrx1yVtMzSDo8KicYQ,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=zZgTkuKlj1it1nSH-ssiJg 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=ELAFGDdgVqyu-2o15mDP9A,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=IYYV7UFVpe_6QqfBaw-0NA 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=6LIpp6QKGrTK4geNsonayg,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=Cu7DIeW6nxehsRcL0jAp6w 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bank of Canada business outlook\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;sig=wvxBe6bcsvD7-tbx0Pcm8A\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;sig=wvxBe6bcsvD7-tbx0Pcm8A,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;sig=mv7bohNmcDFTavIeAirQdA 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bank-of-Canada-buiness-outlook-survey.png?quality=5&amp;strip=all&amp;w=100&amp;sig=mGujcdRCNS8SfRiMvW0EKA\" height=\"880\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n<p data-async=\"\">While the share of firms planning unusually large or frequent price increases is steadily declining, a \u201cshrinking minority\u201d say there are factors keeping them from returning to normal pricing behaviour. These include wage growth above pre-pandemic norms, profit margins that have yet to fully recover, and incomplete pass-through of higher costs from previous years.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"js-widget-content article-content__widget-group article-content__widget-group--content-slot15 article-content__widget-group--newsletter-slot\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-widget__new-story-page fp-headlinenews background--primary-light-gradient\" aria-labelledby=\"FinancialPostTopStories4212071756326751401256003857022976\" data-account-id=\"b9d3df2fccd108b5eff3c44f573b2cd6\" data-aqa=\"widget-newsletter\" data-newsletter=\"single\" data-newsletter-component=\"\" data-target-list=\"FP_HeadlineNews\" data-widget=\"newsletter\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-new-story-page-template\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__header__new-story-page\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__banner__new-story-page\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Top Stories\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/15.7.3\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-topStories.svg\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Top Stories<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page\">Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__body__new-story-page\">\n<div class=\"js-replace-main__new-story-page\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__disclaimer__new-story-page text-size--tiny\">By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-submit-success\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitSuccessFP_HeadlineNews\">\n<p>Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page\">A welcome email is on its way. 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Please try again<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_3\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment3564238696891823842240074340106240\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 3<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-3\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[7,7],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"7x7\" data-ad-loc=\"3\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[7,7],[300,250],[320,50],[300,50]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-3\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>Wage growth remains high compared to levels before the COVID-19 pandemic, but many businesses in the latest survey reported that they are finding it easier to fill job vacancies and most expect wage growth to slow as what workers earn catches up with cost-of-living increases.<\/p>\n<p>Slightly more than 40 per cent of businesses \u2014 a similar proportion to last quarter of 2023 \u2014 indicated their wage increases are no longer abnormally high. However, the share of businesses expecting abnormally high wage growth to persist through 2025 has increased to 23 per cent from 14 per cent in the previous quarter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBusinesses\u2019 pricing behaviour is continuing to normalize,\u201d said the report, which is a summary of interviews conducted by the Bank of Canada with business leaders from about 100 firms selected in accordance with the composition of Canada\u2019s gross domestic product. \u201cBut the slow moderation in wage growth and the gradual pass-through of high costs are keeping output price growth elevated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, the latest business outlook survey shows inflation expectations are coming down in the business community, with 27 per cent of firms expecting inflation to remain above two per cent beyond three years, compared to 37 per cent in the fourth-quarter 2023 survey.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_4\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment2088935635327535618691147570872320\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 4<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-4\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"4\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-4\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>Many businesses moderated investment plans in response to high borrowing costs and persistently weak demand and focused their investment efforts on maintaining existing capacity, according to the report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPart of the moderation in investment intentions can be attributed to the long-lasting impacts of past interest rate increases, as long-term projects that were financed when interest rates were lower are completed,\u201d the report said. \u201cInstead of starting new projects to boost productivity or expand output, many firms are focusing their investment plans on simply repairing or replacing machinery and equipment to maintain their current capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n<section aria-labelledby=\"moreTopicLabel5315209812379540979567242153820160\" class=\"more-topic\" data-aqa=\"embed-more-topic\" data-carousel-component=\"\" data-carousel-icon-button=\"\" data-carousel-type=\"list\">\n<p>Recommended from Editorial<\/p>\n<p><button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-prev\" data-carousel-prev=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"previous\" type=\"button\"\/><\/p>\n<ol class=\"more-topic__items list-unstyled\" data-carousel-slide-list=\"\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<li data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" of=\"\" canada=\"\" says=\"\" the=\"\" country=\"\" faces=\"\" a=\"\" productivity=\"\" data-carousel-item=\"\" data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\"> <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Bank of Canada\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bank-of-canada-0326-ph.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=xS9BmVkHKwbyRrbu4l8xig\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bank-of-canada-0326-ph.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=5&amp;sig=Dzk5b_DRc0XfocOpIBgUZQ\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bank-of-canada-0326-ph.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=xS9BmVkHKwbyRrbu4l8xig, https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bank-of-canada-0326-ph.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=L_-7qL-Ysur875dYLH0CUg 2x,&#10;                                             https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/bank-of-canada-0326-ph.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=cgRych3hlnM-JjmINqVUcg 3x\" class=\"lazyload\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<p><span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\">Bank of Canada says the country faces a productivity &#8217;emergency&#8217;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" productivity=\"\" and=\"\" newcomers=\"\" data-carousel-item=\"\" data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\"> <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/no0328pedestrians.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=QyrWSD_xKUJ0xUtA9PCYDQ\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/no0328pedestrians.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=QyrWSD_xKUJ0xUtA9PCYDQ, https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/no0328pedestrians.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=6KrbzK170nT19Y80UHUjYw 2x,&#10;                                             https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/no0328pedestrians.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=y31PR3oOaRCevhLtlJyHXA 3x\" alt=\"productivity\" class=\"lazyload\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<p><span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\">Canada&#8217;s productivity &#8217;emergency&#8217; and newcomers<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" may=\"\" just=\"\" pull=\"\" off=\"\" that=\"\" elusive=\"\" landing=\"\" data-carousel-item=\"\" data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\"> <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/canada-0401-ph-1.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=eP7vs6y2D7QkK9q1qu31Qg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/canada-0401-ph-1.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=eP7vs6y2D7QkK9q1qu31Qg, https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/canada-0401-ph-1.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=erStiWixYILRvMAa6TbLaA 2x,&#10;                                             https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/canada-0401-ph-1.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=cGSWAaxhaqpoY13wxyBbvg 3x\" alt=\"None\" class=\"lazyload\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<p><span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\">Canada may just pull off that elusive &#8216;soft landing&#8217;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-next\" data-carousel-next=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"next\" type=\"button\"\/><\/section>\n<p>Still, firms are no longer reporting tightening credit conditions, with three quarter of businesses that indicated this trend citing lower borrowing costs resulting from the decline in long-term bond yields in recent months.<\/p>\n<p>The Bank of Canada\u2019s first-quarter business outlook survey was conducted by phone, video conference and in-person interviews from Feb. 5 to Feb. 23, 2024.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\"><em>\u2022 Email: bshecter@postmedia.com <\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__share-group article-delimiter\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" data-evt-typ=\"page_scroll\">\n<p>Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n<br \/>Bank of Canada survey finds fewer businesses expect a recession<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>2024-04-01 14:50:20<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breadcrumb Trail Links News Economy Companies and consumers more optimistic about economy as interest rate cuts near Get the latest from Barbara Shecter straight to your inbox Sign Up Published&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45475,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/45475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}