1414 ET - Market-implied pricing indicates the Bank of Canada will lift interest rates three times this year, but policymakers in the country have significant scope to look through the recent spike in energy prices and are likely to remain on the sidelines through 2026, Desjardins' Royce Mendes says. He says Canada's rates market has been caught up in the front-end selloff in global sovereign debt markets, but conditions in Canada are different. Mendes says higher rates would needlessly deepen economic pain in Canada, and nearterm higher energy costs alone will act like a tax on many households and businesses. Moreover, the weight of energy in Canada's CPI basket is considerably lower than in most other OECD countries, he adds. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 14:15 ET (18:15 GMT)
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