Small business optimism fell back sharply in June, erasing the gains we had seen since March. The Business Barometer® Index ends the month at 63.5, almost three-and-a-half points below its May level--which had (briefly) been a two-year high.
Trade Info You Can Trust
In The News
Canada posts surprise trade deficit as exports fall
June 19, 2014
Canada posted a surprise trade deficit of $638-million in April, driving home the central bank’s concerns over exports.
Canadian exports tumbled by 1.8 per cent, Statistics Canada said Wednesday, while imports rose 1.4 per cent, leading to the shortfall that compared to a March surprlus of $766-million.
Detroit-Windsor bridge project clears final regulatory hurdle
June 19, 2014
A major Canada-U.S. infrastructure project has cleared its last regulatory hurdle with the granting of a permit for a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ont.
That permit from the U.S. Coast Guard was the last one required for a bridge in the busy corridor that handles one-third of all Canada-U.S. trade.
[US] Customs chief: CEEs could take larger role
June 16, 2014
U.S. Customs and Border Protection could eventually expand the role of its 10 Centers of Excellence and Expertise beyond revenue-related functions to include making decisions on how and when to release imported goods into U.S. commerce, Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske said earlier this month.
Imagining a more ambitious Canada
June 16, 2014
The world has undergone enormous changes since Ottawa last conducted a foreign policy review nearly a decade ago: the rise of China and other emerging economies, the transformation of global energy markets, the Arab uprising and other “public square” protests, and the proliferation of digital technology, to name a few.