Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - Inflation worries are getting to the Bank of Canada. In an unusual move for a central banker, the current Governor, Tiff Macklem, took to the print media to express a controversial point of view. Macklem wanted to reassure Canadians that inflation is under control, and if ever it is not, the Bank of Canada can […]

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - Stock markets in China are getting even cheaper. The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng Index is down more than 20 percent from its January 2018 high. The Chinese government is cracking down on the largest technology companies. Investors are getting spooked by these anti-market moves. Is this sell-off a buying opportunity? Investing in China means dipping […]

HoweStreet.com Radio - Is Alberta’s economic outlook grim?

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - China has a property bubble second to none in the world. Evergrande is the second largest property developer in China and one of the largest in the world. Could Evergrande’s troubles burst the Chinese property bubble? Source: Macmillan Publishing, 2016 Michele Wucker wrote the book on gray rhinos, called “The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize […]

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - OPEC failed again to reach agreement among its members and others to increase the supply of crude oil, a failure that risks an even greater surge in the price of oil which could trigger a worldwide recession. Five of the last six recessions have been preceded by a spike in the price of crude oil. […]

HoweStreet.com Radio - Will downtown cores ever recover from business, office closures?

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - Canadian housing is expensive. Household debt in Canada is at record levels. And yet there is still enthusiasm about buying more real estate, and very little fear of a crash. Why are Canadians so complacent about houses? Canadians buying real estate have a very positive view about real estate prices. They have little or no […]

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - “Wilful Blindness”, by Sam Cooper, describes how Canada has become a prime destination for money laundering. The book, released in 2021, ranks as a best seller for its entertaining and shocking descriptions. However, the reader is forced to ask uncomfortable questions about Canada. Why have Canadians allowed their country to become a hiding place for […]

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - Canada has one of the largest housing bubbles in the world, according to Bloomberg Economics. The top 3 countries at risk are New Zealand, Canada and Sweden. The warnings signs are as intense as they were in the run-up to the global financial crisis in 2008, according to Bloomberg. Could Canada’s housing bubble trigger another […]

HoweStreet.com Radio - Little recognition Alberta is world’s biggest oil source for US

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - A turning point for interest rates may have arrived. Federal Reserve members hinted at raising their official interest rate above zero sooner than expected. Until now the Fed had maintained that rates will stay “lower for longer” without any hint imminent increases. How significant is this subtle shift in the Fed forecast for future interest […]

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation increased by 5 percent year-over-year, and 0.6 percent in the month of May – an annual rate of 7.2 percent. The core CPI, which excludes the volatile components of food and energy, rose even faster at 0.7 percent. What popular investment would lose 43 percent if this level of inflation […]

HoweStreet.com Radio - Tesla bails on its Plaid Plus Car

Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - Exxon Mobil suffered a setback at its annual shareholder meeting in voting for members of the board of directors. Exxon lost the vote on three members, giving an activist investment fund a quarter of the seats on the twelve-member board. This new firm, called Engine No. 1, says that it is “pursuing long-term value by […]