Five things to observe for within the Canadian business world in the approaching week

TORONTO – Five things to observe for within the Canadian business world in the approaching week:

Household debt

Statistics Canada will release on Monday its national balance sheet and financial flow accounts for the fourth quarter of 2022. The figures include the much-watched household-debt-to-income figures for Canadians.

Ritchie Bros.-IAA shareholder votes

Shareholders of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Inc. and IAA Inc. are set to vote Tuesday on a deal that may see Ritchie Bros. acquire the U.S. company. Quite a few Ritchie Bros. shareholders have voiced their opposition to the deal, which requires approval by shareholders of each firms. Ritchie Bros. has said the deal will unlock “substantial additional value” that neither company could achieve by itself.

Economic data

The image of how the economy began off the yr will grow to be somewhat clearer this week. Statistics Canada will release its monthly survey of producing for January on Tuesday followed by wholesale trade figures for the primary month of 2023 on Thursday.

Home sales

The Canadian Real Estate Association is anticipated to release its home sales figures for February on Wednesday. Home sales in January posted their worst begin to the yr since 2009 as they fell 37.1 per cent compared with the beginning of 2022. The actual average price in January was $612,204, down 18.3 per cent from January 2022.

Empire results

Grocer Empire Company Ltd. will release its third-quarter results on Thursday. Empire chief executive Michael Medline was in the new seat last week together with other grocery executives who faced questions at a parliamentary committee studying food price inflation on the food market.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 12, 2023.

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