Monday saw a monster U.S. manufacturing report that basically told the recession doomsayers to take a seat and gave the rate-hike crowd hope. Meanwhile, Canada, not to be left out, staged its own little (and we do mean little) industrial comeback. Overall, the stronger North American outlook reduced expectations

💡See also: Mortgage Tidbits (below). Canadian growth flatlined in November and barely inched higher in December, likely keeping rates on ice even longer. But bond yields shrugged it off like yesterday's bad news. Meanwhile, hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation, Trump's hawkish-leaning Fed chair pick, and a widening

With oil prices near 4+ year lows, many rate-watchers are pondering what that means for mortgage rates. The reality is it's a complex relationship. Oil price moves aren't “good” or “bad” in a consistent way. Whether oil causes monthly payments to shrink or swell boils down