The Bank of Canada is abruptly abandoning an explicit warning that its key interest rate is headed higher in the face of a much gloomier economic outlook.
Cautioning that Canada is likely to grow much more slowly than it thought in the summer, the central bank now acknowledges that its next move is just as likely to be a rate cut, as an increase.
Cheaper goods could be arriving sooner than expected as efforts are under way to speed up the implementation of the free-trade deal between Canada and the European Union.
EU officials are currently looking at whether there are parts of the deal that do not require approval of the 28 member states and could be launched before the agreement is officially ratified.
Footwear importers are mounting an all-out effort to convince Congress and the Obama administration that disproportionately large duties on their products are punishing both retailers and American consumers.
Footwear last year racked up import duties of $2.4 billion, and over the past 10 years the industry paid duties totaling $34 billion…
The 2013 Canadian Business Women in International Trade (BWIT) newsletter is now available at http://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/eng/businesswomen/document.jsp?did=145482.
Canada and the European Union are hoping the momentum of last week's free-trade announcement will carry over into a troublesome side agreement.
