Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz raised three important financial system vulnerabilities: high household indebtedness, imbalances in the housing market, and increased investor risk taking, during a news conference in Ottawa, December 10, 2014.
Photo Credit: Adrian Wyld/CP

Bank of Canada Governor warning: Indebted households and overvalued house prices

Canada’s finacial system faces three important vulnerabilties: high household indebtedness; imbalances in the housing market; and increased investor risk said Stephen Poloz, the Governor of the Bank of Canada, in his biannual report on Wednesday (December 10).

At a press morning press conference he pointed out the goal of his Financial System Review was “not to predict the most likely outcomes for the financial system. Instead, we use it to highlight key financial vulnerabilities and the catalysts that could turn those vulnerabilities into a risk to the financial system.”

The Governor suggested that ” there is some risk that the housing market is overvalued, and our estimates fall in the 10 to 30 per cent range”.

RCI’s Wojtek Gwiazda has a report.

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More information:
Bank of Canada – Financial System Review, December 2014 (pdf) – here
Bank of Canada Governor statement – here
Wall Street Journal – Canada’s Central Bank Says Housing Prices, Debt Pose Threat to Stability – here
Globe and Mail – Canada’s housing market overvalued by as much as 30%: BoC – here

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Categories: Economy
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