Balanced budget in sight as Canada’s deficit drops to $1.1-billion

OTTAWA — The federal government continues to make progress toward its goal of reducing the deficit despite weaker than expected economic growth and job creation.

Listings down, prices up…. housing bubble?

Latest housing stats show listings are down, sales are down… but prices are up, only slightly…. and houses aren’t on the market as long.  They are selling faster.   Doesn’t sound like a bubble to me.  More like a soft landing.

September shows marked improvement in consumer confidence

OTTAWA – The Conference Board of Canada says consumer confidence showed improvement this month, following a weak showing in August.

Ottawa issues ‘toolkit’ to help Canadians get out of debt

OTTAWA — Ottawa believes Canadians might need a little help in how they spend and save.

Five Post Divorce Financial Tips

Everyone knows how devastating, frustrating and emotionally difficult divorce is. Sometimes though, we overlook the other, more logistical challenges of splitting up. 

Pattaya in Thailand seeing increased interest from foreign property buyers

Pattaya in Thailand has seen a strong growth in its real estate markets since 2008 and is now considered the second city in Thailand, according to industry experts.

Fed makes aggressive move to juice U.S. economy

The Federal Reserve said Thursday that it will deploy a third, multi-billion-dollar bond-buying program, and pledged to keep its benchmark interest rate near zero until at least mid-2015, extending its previous guidance by half a year.

The dark side of low interest rates

There is a cost to low interest rates. Just ask savers pondering the merits of the Royal Bank’s so called “high interest” e-savings account, a typical offering in Canada. The rate: 1.2 per cent. For U.S. dollar savings, the return is positively microscopic, only 0.25 per cent.

When moving up means moving out

Even record debt levels — household debt-to-income ratio in Canada is now at 152% — seem to have done little to get Canadians to move for a chance to get ahead

Our love affair with debt keeps Canada’s banks on top

Bloomberg Canadian banks lived up to their reputation for cranking out profits even in brutal conditions today — and they have Canadians' appetite for debt to thank. But for how long?

Panama’s Real Estate Boom

Panama has had a non-stop real estate boom since 2005.  The worldwide economic crisis did not affect Panama’s economy which remains as one of the strongest in all of Latin America.

Natural resources drive 20% of Canada’s economy

Canadian Press Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver says his officials have calculated how much income the sector is bringing to the Canadian economy.