Here's a crushing of economists' forecasts that we don't see every day.

GDP just humbled the consensus -0.5% estimate, landing at 2.6% annualized in the third quarter.

Regrettably, it appears to be a classic statistical headfake.

While the BoC will almost certainly stay put next month, investors await Friday's GDP numbers to confirm it.

Meanwhile, more investors are suddenly piling on the Fed cut bandwagon, and Fed easing could, in turn, encourage the BoC to remain on hold longer.

A few weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Canada's economy is buckling and "flirting with recession."

This week, our stock market has exploded to record highs.

Given that stocks price in future growth, you wonder if stronger-than-expected GDP prints lie ahead. The next one comes on Friday.

Here's a useful tip for pretty much any mortgage originator.

Newton and Fastkey Technologies have just launched a service you can use to fetch official CRA documents for your mortgage customers.

They've dubbed it VerifyCRA.

The company says the tool "eliminates fraud, ensures document authenticity, and saves you hours of manual follow-ups." That's time brokers can reallocate to finding deals and closing them.

Here's how it works, what it costs (hint: you'll like the current price), and where it comes in handy...

The latest dump of stale shutdown-delayed data suggests the U.S. economy has the stamina of a heavy smoker.

GDP estimates (more on those below) argue otherwise.

Either way, traders have solidified bets that a Fed cut next month is on the way. So far, this is pulling even Canadian rates in the right direction.

Lenders are in a perpetual slugfest for business, especially monolines that lack bank-matching uninsured rates.

In the past, we've noted how world leaders like U.S.-based UWM do weekly real-time "Sales Huddles" (see this) and key updates videos (see this) starring their CEO.

UWM commits to this weekly ritual to motivate and inform brokers, a concept that wouldn't feel so groundbreaking if it weren't for the fact that its CEO is billionaire Mat Ishbia.

This guy is like a nuclear reactor full of energy—captivating to watch—and he knows the mortgage business better than his own home address.

But if a busy billionaire can find time to speak to brokers and add value each and every week, it raises an uncomfortable question for Canadian bank rivals. Why aren’t more lender bosses out rallying brokers online, showing their customers clear, practical ways to generate more deals?

In Canada, few lenders and broker networks offer anything close to such regular weekly commentary. One exception is a guy who may not share Ishbia’s net worth but definitely matches the enthusiasm for sharing insight: RMG’s Bruno Valko.

With no blockbuster data dropping on Monday, traders were stuck gnawing on the same stale crumbs about December's Fed policy decision. Officials at the central bank have ample influence over Canadian rates. However, this time the Americans could have less sway over a Bank of Canada that "sees the current policy rate at about the right level" already.

Canadian shoppers have apparently discovered the off switch on their wallets, just as U.S. sentiment is slumping, and manufacturing is losing mojo.

Yet, despite some data whispering in central bankers' ears to “ease more,” underlying inflation is uncooperative enough to make that wishful thinking, for now.