Commodities

Drought oppresses Canadian and U.S. farmers

BMO Financial Group has launched a financial relief program to assist its customers affected by the drought in North America. Both record heat and lack of rain has been unforgiving in the American Midwest this summer, leading to the worst drought seen in 56 years. As of July 31, nearly two-thirds of the continental U.S. […]

By Staff |August 22, 2012

1 min read

Economic Indicators

Will QE be effective?

Quantitative easing’s main purpose is to provide liquidity to the financial system. A system without liquidity, which we witnessed during the financial crisis of 2008, is one where lending dries up and business is harder to transact.

By Gareth Watson |August 20, 2012

5 min read

Economic Indicators

Droughts propel commodities to food-riot prices

Grain prices have surged over the past six weeks as drought-like conditions have raised concerns about the health of the summer crop.

By David Andrews |July 23, 2012

4 min read

Market Insights

How to read the commodities market

Researchers have made surprising discoveries about how the commodities market works.

By Jacqueline Louie |July 16, 2012

2 min read

Are oil prices too low?

Oil prices critically affect the North American economy, so what if they went down? Craig Porter, Front Street Capital, says it's a fine line; companies can explore and profit at lower prices, but if the drop is too steep, growth will be stunted.

2 min read

Energy drags commodities index, despite global demand

Commodity prices continued to decline in March, extending the slide to four months, according to the Scotiabank Commodity Price Index. The index fell 2.9% month-over-month, and is off 5.2% year-over-year.

By Staff |April 26, 2012

2 min read

Job growth will bolster U.S. economy

The U.S. economy is poised to gain 2.5% this year, up from a weak 1.7% in 2011, says the Conference Board of Canada’s U.S. Outlook-Spring 2012. “Last year, the U.S. economy appeared ready to take off, only to slump over the summer months,” says Kip Beckman, principal economist. “Fortunately, there are some major differences between […]

By Staff |April 23, 2012

1 min read

Commodities

Drought oppresses Canadian and U.S. farmers

Will QE be effective?

Droughts propel commodities to food-riot prices

How to read the commodities market

Debt agreements boost European bonds

Canada’s GDP will grow by 2.6%: RBC

Are oil prices too low?

The Eurozone won’t collapse

Energy drags commodities index, despite global demand

Job growth will bolster U.S. economy