{"id":314720,"date":"2026-01-26T16:29:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T21:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wahi.com\/ca\/en\/?p=314720"},"modified":"2026-01-27T16:31:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T21:31:50","slug":"heres-one-thing-canadian-market-watchers-can-agree-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wahi.com\/ca\/en\/learning-centre\/real-estate-101\/buy\/january-2026-canadian-interest-rate-forecast\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s One Thing Canadian Market-Watchers Can Agree on"},"content":{"rendered":"

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_module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||3px|1px||” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||3px|1px||” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”twitter” url=”https:\/\/twitter.com\/wahi_inc” icon_color=”#BC4E40″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]twitter[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”linkedin” url=”https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/wahi-inc\/” icon_color=”#BC4E40″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]linkedin[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”instagram” url=”https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wahi.inc\/” icon_color=”#BC4E40″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]instagram[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”facebook” url=”https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wahiinc\/” icon_color=”#BC4E40″ _builder_version=”4.20.2″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]facebook[\/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][\/et_pb_social_media_follow][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”15px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” 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Wahi asked real estate<\/a> industry professionals \u2014 including economists, academics, and REALTORS\u00ae \u2014 about their predictions for the Bank of Canada\u2019s next rate announcement.<\/span><\/p>\n

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By Josh Sherman<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>| 3 minute read<\/p>\n

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Leading up to each scheduled BoC rate announcement, Wahi surveys upwards of a dozen real estate leaders to gauge market sentiment and find out where the industry thinks rates are headed.<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”791.1px” custom_padding=”32px||23px|0px||” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.6em” header_2_font=”||||||||” header_2_font_size=”36px” header_2_line_height=”1.3em” header_3_font_size=”1.25rem” header_3_line_height=”1.88rem” header_4_font=”|700|||||||” header_4_font_size=”1.25rem” header_4_line_height=”1.88rem” min_height=”765.1px” custom_margin=”||-48px|||” custom_padding=”6px||68px|||” text_font_size_tablet=”21px” text_font_size_phone=”16px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_font_size_tablet=”36px” header_2_font_size_phone=”25px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Respondents to Wahi\u2019s latest Rate Outlook Panel all agree: the BoC will hold the overnight rate at 2.25% at its first scheduled announcement of the year on Wednesday, Jan. 28.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The BoC trimmed its influential policy rate four times in 2025 \u2014 including back-to-back cuts this past September and October \u2014 but the market-watchers surveyed by Wahi say that the current level of inflation will keep the central bank on the sideline for now. <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u201cWe anticipate no change to the overnight rate from the Bank of Canada on Wednesday.\u00a0 At December’s meeting, Governor [Tiff] Macklem reiterated the BoC’s holding bias, contingent on moderate growth and stabilizing inflation,\u201d says Rachel Battaglia, an economist with RBC Economics.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the days leading up to each rate announcement, Wahi surveys upwards of a dozen real estate industry professionals, including economists at some of Canada\u2019s biggest banks as well as academics and analysts. Respondents to Wahi\u2019s Rate Outlook Panel are asked whether they anticipate a rate cut \u2014 and, if so, by how much \u2014 as well as the reasoning behind their decision.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u201cWith inflation stabilized and uncertainty in the economy remaining on a day-to-day basis, we think the Bank of Canada will not shift greatly, particularly during the first half of the year,\u201d says Pauline Lierman, vice president of market research at Zonda Urban. <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Moshe Lander, a senior economics lecturer at Concordia University, says several recent items support the BoC continuing its rate pause. These factors include inflation remaining within the central bank\u2019s target band of 1-3%, an unemployment rate of less than 7%, a December labour-market report that reflected net job creation, and an appreciating Canadian dollar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe economy is certainly not firing on all cylinders, but neither is it going in reverse,\u201d says Lander. \u201cThe Bank is best to hold onto its remaining possible cuts\u2026 and wait to see how 2026 unfolds before using them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

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