15 April 2019

Such results will reinforce predictions that the Bank will keep the rates unchanged for some time.

It’s important to note that the BoC’s Governor Stephen Poloz pays special attention to this poll and considers it a significant supplement to harder economic data. The survey brings light to numerous important topics: from investment intentions to the economic performance and inflation forecasts. And this report was almost fully negative.

More businesses saw sales growth slowdown during the previous 12 months, and future sales are also expected to be weak.

Meanwhile, investment and employment intentions are still strong, although the numbers still softened. According to the report, 39% of respondents plan to raise spending on machinery and equipment – it’s within the historical average limits, but still lower than over the recent months. About half of the executives surveyed will increase employment levels in the next 12 months.

The poll says respondents also expect moderate growth in the U.S. The number of those who predict slow growth was up from 42% to 70%.