Description: The Lipstick Index is perhaps one of the most unusual measures of economic performance you may have encountered. Essentially, this measure says that when times are tough, consumers will still avail themselves of smaller luxuries like skin care and perfumes in the face of cut backs on larger purchases. Leonard Lauder, the former CEO… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Canadian Economy
A Good Year for the Wealthy
Description: According to Statistics Canada, 2021 was a good year for the wealthy. Canada’s top 1% of income earners saw their incomes go up by 9.4% that year, with the top 0.1% doing even better with an increase of 17.4%, pushing them to an average of nearly $2.1 million. Statistics Canada noted similar increases were… Read more »
Google Test-Blocks Canadians
Description: In an apparent response to the federal government’s Online News Act, Google has blocked some Canadians from their news feeds. Google has called this a test, noting the company runs thousands of tests like this in any given year. The Act will force platforms like Google and Facebook to begin compensating media publishers for… Read more »
Air Canada Profit Last Quarter
Description: Air Canada posted a profit of $168 million in the most recent quarter that ended December 31. Even with the bad weather that made for a general rough patch over the Christmas travel period, Air Canada still managed to generate positive results. Revenue was 2% higher than for the same period in 2019, indicating… Read more »
Google Layoffs Hit Canada
Description: Google has announced that it is laying off 12,000 workers worldwide. The impact is being felt in Canada, although the extent of job loss here was not immediately evident. Google joins other big tech companies in the layoff trend as Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta have handed out notices to employees in recent weeks. Sundar… Read more »
Freeze Lifted
Description: High food prices have been impacting Canadian consumers in this inflationary environment, and some are expressing their displeasure via social media in the wake of Loblaw lifting a prize freeze it had set back in the fall of 2022. Loblaw has responded through its own social media channels to defend its actions against consumers’… Read more »
Retired – With a Mortgage?
Description: High home prices have been bad news for many younger Canadians starting on the home ownership and career journey. But these increased costs have also created stress for older Canadians as they enter the uncharted territory of carrying a mortgage into retirement. Dan Hallett, a financial planner, says “It’s certainly not ideal,” to enter… Read more »
Looking Forward
Description: According to a recent Leger survey, younger Canadians are more pessimistic about the Canadian economy than they were last year at this time. This seems to be reflected in a willingness to hang tight in their current employment versus pursuing a new job. In looking at their personal finances, 22 percent of the respondents… Read more »
A Good Month for Jobs
Description: October was a good month for the Canadian economy with 108,000 new jobs added, exceeding projections by a factor of ten. Because more Canadians were actually looking for work last month, the unemployment rate remained steady at 5.2%. Despite the good news on the employment front, a higher number of Canadians report having trouble… Read more »
Have You Started Christmas Shopping Yet?
Description: Canadians are launching their Christmas shopping early this year, partially driven by an effort to beat higher prices due to inflation. An American survey indicates that 37% of that population plans to start earlier this year. Robert Domagala, a retail industry analyst, noted to Global News that “prudent shoppers are probably going to try… Read more »