Corporations are continuing to binge on their own shares, with announced buybacks reaching $132 billion last month, more than triple the amount in January 2021 and the highest total ever to start a year. Corporate demand is picking up steam as companies emerge out of an earnings-related blackout. While likely a sign that business leaders see no better use of cash when the economic outlook remains murky, the fact that they are sticking to buybacks is being seen by many as a vote of confidence in their own businesses. In past downturns, firms tended to slash buybacks to preserve cash.  

With household budgets becoming stretched as interest rates rise, more Canadians are having to choose which debt payments they make and which ones they fall behind on. This trend can be seen in the delinquency rates for auto loans, which now surpass pre-pandemic levels. Auto loan delinquency rates reached 2% in Q3 2022, above the average of 1.8% in 2018 and 2019. A combination of soaring car prices, higher borrowing costs, and the surging cost of living is making it harder for some Canadians to keep up with their car payments. Prices for cars remain elevated and with interest rates expected to remain high for some time, analysts are noting that delinquency rates could continue to creep higher.   

Sales in the Toronto housing market reached their slowest pace since April 2020, with just 3,100 homes sold in January. With so little action in Toronto’s market in January, the benchmark price for a home edged down 0.2% from December to roughly $1.08 million, down 14% from a year earlier. Despite the recent pullback, buyers are still facing a much more expensive market than a few years ago, with prices 28% higher than before the pandemic. One thing that has pushed prices so high in recent years has been the number of investors buying real estate with Stats Canada reporting that investors made up almost one third of homeowners in some provinces in 2020. 

The U.S. military this weekend shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that had been floating across the country for several days. Officials said the balloon was being used by the People’s Republic of China in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the U.S. The balloon, which was estimated to be the size of three school busses, was shot down over open water, with officials now attempting to recover the debris. The balloon prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to indefinitely postpone a trip to China on Friday, intended to reinforce communication and cooperation between the two countries. 

Queen Bey. Beyonce broke the record for most career wins at the Grammy awards last night but lost again in the prestigious album of the year category, this time going to Harry Styles. Beyonce added four Grammys to her collection, bringing her lifetime total to 32 and surpassing the tally of late classical conductor Georg Solti. 


Diversion: Clumsy fella. 

Gold is little changed today after tumbling 2.5% on Friday following a stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs report that threw cold water on optimism the Federal Reserve would turn less hawkish this year. The labour market reading reduces the chances the Fed will switch to rate cuts later in 2023 and prompted a jump in the U.S. dollar and U.S. bond yields, a negative for non-interest bearing bullion. This put an end to a six-week rally to slump 3.3% last week.  

Investors are hoping for fresh insights about the state of the economy, with balance of trade figures due on Tuesday and the preliminary Michigan consumer sentiment report expected Friday. In Canada, the only key piece of economic data are the employment figures out before the weekend. A series of Fed speakers are also due to make remarks, including Chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday. Investors will be looking to central bank officials for further clues about monetary policy plans and their expectations for the economy.