TORONTO — Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:
Debt report:
Statistics Canada is set to release a report on trends in household non-mortgage loans and the evolution of household debt before and during the pandemic on Monday. The agency reported in June that household financial assets rose for a fourth consecutive quarter and the debt-to-income ratio fell, but some economists predict the gains may slow down as the economy reopens and spending ramps up.
Shopify appearance:
Shopify Inc. senior manager of investor relations Ana Raman will take part in a fireside chat at the Guggenheim Conference on Tuesday. The e-commerce company’s revenue crossed the $1-billion mark for the first time in a single quarter in June and the volume of goods sold through its offerings reached a record level, as businesses started to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bank earnings:
Scotiabank and BMO will kick off earnings season for the Big 6 on Tuesday, followed by National Bank and RBC on Wednesday, and CIBC and TD on Thursday. Investors will be looking for signs of loan growth, impacts of the Delta variant and hints of what the banks may do with their cash reserves.
Raw products prices:
Statistics Canada is set to release industrial product and raw materials price indexes on Friday. The numbers could provide more insight on the effects of inflation, which rose to 3.7 per cent in July, marking the biggest increase since May 2011 as price growth accelerated across much of the consumer price index and in all provinces.
More vaccine mandates:
The number of companies releasing their plans for vaccine mandates for employees is likely to grow next week, following a wave of announcements last week from Sun Life Financial Inc., Shopify Inc., the City of Toronto, the Toronto Transit Commission and the major banks.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2021.
The Canadian Press
