Join us in this three part series on Canada's financial perspective featuring blogs on the (1) Mortgage Rate Outlook (2) Economic Outlook and (3) Interest Rate Outlook.
Mortgage Rate Outlook
The financial markets have seen tremendous volatility thus far with record low oil prices with consumers and investors being more risk averse as a result. This risk aversion has overwhelmed any potential pressure on yields from bonds that may have arisen due to the US Federal Reserve tightening the monetary policy. In Q1 of 2016, Canadian bond yields dropped to a low of 0.48% but have bounced back to 0.8%. Bond yields may continue to see a rise due to the anticipation of economic growth towards year end.
Despite the volatility in the financial market, there is a silver lining for home buyers as it is keeping the mortgage rates low for the time being. Take a look below at the forecasts for both 2016 and 2017. The one-year mortgage rates are seeing a slight increase towards Q4, however, the five-year rates are expected to be stabilized at 4.64% for the entirety of 2016 which is good news for home buyers!
Note: Rates are based on an average of weekly rates
Source: British Columbia Real Estate Association
Source: British Columbia Real Estate Association
Stay tuned for the next part of the blog series where we'll dive into the Economic Outlook. For all your real estate needs, contact Amalia Liapis at amalia@wesellvancouver.ca or alternatively, at 604-618-7000.