Canadian Household Debt Hits a New All-Time High

There’s always that one thing everyone failed to anticipate that ends up reverberating through the economy. For Canada, it’s the collapse in crude oil prices. And some things that were less worrisome when oil traded near triple digits are obviously much more so today, such as the ratio of debt to disposable income among Canadian consumers. According to Statistics Canada (StatCan), that figure set a new all-time high in the fourth quarter of...

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Australian Consumer Confidence Remains High

Australia’s consumer sentiment remains near its recent high, and part of the story may be a somewhat stronger-than-expected job market. The latest reading from the Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment came in at 99.5, just 1.2% lower than February’s reading, which was the highest level in a year. That means pessimists marginally outnumber optimists, but it’s a strong showing nonetheless, especially considering where it had...

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