Canadian Highlights
- Markets swung on hopes of a Middle East truce, but the outlook remains fragile.
- Canada’s economy has stalled out over the past two quarters, with weak domestic demand and patchy investment pointing to subdued momentum.
- The upcoming CUSMA review is now central, as Canada looks to pair greater trade clarity with an energy led investment strategy.
U.S. Highlights
- Renewed hopes of a U.S.-Iran ceasefire extension pushed WTI prices 9% lower this week to $88 per barrel.
- Consumer spending remained resilient in April, amid rising inflationary pressures and dwindling household savings.
- More Fed officials are joining the chorus of sounding increasingly hawkish, with Fed futures 60% priced for a rate hike by year-end.
Canada – Canada’s Economy Stalls Ahead of Trade Negotiations
Hope for a peace deal to end the conflict between Iran and the U.S. and open the Strait of Hormuz dominated markets this week. While optimism around a possible 60-day truce has pushed oil prices sharply lower (down roughly nine percent relative to late last week), volatility remains elevated. Markets continue to respond quickly to shifting headlines, underscoring the fragility of the outlook. For Canada, this volatility comes at a time when market access to the U.S. remains an open question and continues to weigh on domestic activity.
The first quarter GDP report showed the economy effectively stalled (-0.1% quarter-on-quarter annualized, q/q), undershooting expectations. The weakness was broad-based. Strong import growth dragged down the top line figure, but final domestic demand declined again (-0.4% q/q), and continues to proceed in fits and starts (Chart 1). Looking through the volatility final domestic demand is up 1.3% year-on-year (y/y), but this is still a below-trend figure, and consistent with an economy operating below capacity.
Household spending grew 1.5% q/q, supported by services, but momentum eased from Q4. On the investment side, good growth in machinery, equipment and intellectual property products were offset by another large contraction in residential investment (-7.9% q/q) and weaker outlays on engineering structures. Government investment also reversed after gains in late 2025.
Overall, the economy continues to muddle along with limited forward momentum. While early Q2 indicators suggest some rebound (with April GDP tracking higher), the broader trend still points to slack in the economy and subdued growth.
Canada’s lackluster growth performance puts the focus squarely on the upcoming CUSMA review. The economy has operated under the cloud of uncertain U.S. market access ever since the first tranche of tariffs were announced last year. On Monday the three countries are due to notify each other of what changes they want in the agreement, with discussions to follow. The United States and Mexico have already scheduled formal negotiating rounds. Minister for U.S.-Canada Trade Dominic Leblanc is expected to travel to Washington next week, but the timelines for negotiations remain unclear.
To find some insights on the negotiations, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech in New York this week highlighted Canada’s strategy. He called for a “new partnership” with the United States, while simultaneously positioning Canada’s goal to establish itself as “an energy superpower”.
Recent foreign direct investment data suggest there might be something to the strategy. First quarter inflows were reported at $22 billion ($4 billion less than in Q4), and investments in the energy and mining sector were $14.7 billion in the quarter (Chart 2). While these data are volatile, they align with Canada’s strategy to leverage its resource base and attract long-term capital.
The Canadian economy continues to muddle along under a cloud of trade uncertainty. The hope is that in the coming months, clarity and stability on the trade relationship with the U.S. emerges. Increased economic certainty, together with the push to attract global capital to invest in Canada, can lay the foundation for productivity-powered economic growth.
U.S. – Makings of a Deal
It’s been three months since the U.S. and Israel launched the initial attack on Iran. Hopes for a longer-term peace resolution rose this week following President Trump’s comments that a peace deal had been “largely negotiated”. Oil prices fell sharply on the news, though renewed attacks from both sides by mid-week briefly faded the optimism. But by Thursday evening, news outlines were reporting that the two sides had reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire, pending President Trump’s approval. Oil prices traded 9% lower on the week and the WTI benchmark currently sits at $88 per barrel. Meanwhile, economic data out this week reinforced a more cautious but still resilient consumer amid renewed inflationary pressures. The S&P 500 edged 1.3% higher on the week, while the 10-Year Treasury yield drifted lower by 12 basis points and currently sits at 4.44%.
This week’s release of the April personal income & spending data offered a fresh dose of reality on the pain being inflicted on American households because of the energy shock. PCE inflation rose to a three-year high of 3.8% year-on-year and is likely to push north of 4% in May alongside a continued rise in gasoline prices. The picture didn’t look much better once the effects of food & energy were removed, with core PCE inflation edging up to 3.3%. Three-and-six-month measures are even hotter, each up 3.8% (Chart 1).
Despite the rise in inflation, the consumer has remained reasonably resilient. Nominal spending rose 0.5% m/m in April, following a stronger gain of 1% in March. After accounting for inflation, April’s gain looked less stellar, but still edged higher by 0.1% m/m. Hotter inflation is also working to erode consumer purchasing power, with real disposable income declining for a third consecutive month. This has left households increasingly reliant on savings to fuel spending. But with the savings rate having slipped to a four-year low, the buffer is looking increasingly thin.
According to a recent survey conducted by the Conference Board, households are reporting softer spending intentions in the months ahead. Fewer households are planning to purchase big-ticket items while two-thirds of consumers plan to reduce overall spending due to higher prices. While the survey metrics have been a less reliable predictor of actual spending post-pandemic, we can’t completely disregard the signal. The energy shock has further strained affordability for lower-and-middle income households, who have not benefited to the same degree from past year’s gains in home and equity prices.
And there’s an increasing risk that affordability pressures could worsen if the energy shock is sustained much longer. A growing chorus of Fed officials are sounding increasingly hawkish amid rising inflationary pressures. Board member Lisa Cook said this week that if disinflation doesn’t soon resume, she would be “prepared to raise rates”. Meanwhile, Fed President Kashkari reiterated that the inflation fight takes priority as the labor market now appears to be in decent shape. This suggests next week’s employment report will play second fiddle to the May CPI numbers due on June 10th. Fed futures are now 60% priced for a rate hike by year-end, but a hotter inflation report could pull forward expectations for a rate hike.
