{"id":3123,"date":"2023-08-01T08:14:18","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T12:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianlending.ca\/brokers\/?p=3123"},"modified":"2023-08-30T11:27:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T15:27:18","slug":"canadian-retail-sales-stalling-as-higher-rates-take-a-bite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.canadianlending.ca\/brokers\/canadian-retail-sales-stalling-as-higher-rates-take-a-bite\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Retail Sales Stalling as Higher Rates Take a Bite"},"content":{"rendered":"

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After showing strength in late 2022 and early 2023, consumer spending appears to be stalling. Retail sales were flat in June, based on preliminary estimates from Statistics Canada. That followed a 0.2% increase the previous month, falling short of the 0.5% increase economics were expecting. This slowing in consumption is more pronounced after adjusting for inflation and population growth. In volume terms, adjusted for inflation, retail sales rose just 0.1% in May.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Labour market strength has been the main factor supporting household spending and fuelling the persistence of excess demand that has been a concern for the Bank of Canada. May\u2019s retail sales figure is evidence that a slowdown is materializing. With consumer finances being squeezed by an erosion in purchasing power due to rising interest rates and persistent inflation, the outlook for consumer spending is tilted to the downside in the balance of the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Travel Spending \u2013 Cash or Points?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Despite a slowing in retail sales, travel spending has remained strong.\u00a0 <\/span>According to <\/span>RBC<\/span><\/a>, \u201c[b]etween January and April of 2023, over 10 million Canadians returned from trips abroad. That\u2019s up by 7% compared to the same period in 2019.\u201d Economists are puzzled by this strength in discretionary spending,\u00a0 a trend that has been evident over the past year, according to data from a recent <\/span>RBC Consumer Spending Tracker<\/span><\/a> report.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Statistics Canada\u2019s<\/span> National Travel Survey<\/span><\/a> (NTS) <\/span>collects information about the domestic and international travel of Canadian residents, including the economic impact of tourism. NTS<\/span> measures travel spending on a household basis.<\/span><\/p>\n

A key question for economists is how much of travel \u201cspending\u201d is from the use of credit card points accumulated during 2020 and 2021. Beyond cash back, which make up the majority of rewards credit cards in circulation (44%), travel is the second most common<\/span> rewards ca<\/span><\/a>tegory <\/span>(20%). These cards provide free flights, hotel stays, and vacation packages that can be redeemed with points.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of the category, consumers are drawn to credit cards for their rewards. According to Payments Canada, the<\/span> top driver<\/span><\/a> for regular credit card usage is not payment deferral, but collection of loyalty points. <\/span>Research from Stanford University<\/span><\/a> notes that \u201cconsumers receive around $50 billion per year in rewards for using cards.\u201d Scaling this for the Canadian population and applying it to travel card usage would suggest roughly $1 billion a year is available in credit card rewards to fund travel for Canadians. These \u201csavings\u201d have likely been spent over the past year due to pent up demand from consumers who faced pandemic-related travel restrictions throughout 2020 and 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

From an economic perspective, this raises an interesting question: Is the strength of travel spending a result of the credit card rewards industry? If so, the Bank of Canada should not consider this as a sign of excess demand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Independent Opinion<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The views and opinions expressed in this publication are solely and independently those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of any person or organization in any way affiliated with the author including, without limitation, any current or past employers of the author. While reasonable effort was taken to ensure the information and analysis in this publication is accurate, it has been prepared solely for general informational purposes. Any opinions, projections, or forward-looking statements expressed herein are solely those of the author. There are no warranties or representations being provided with respect to the accuracy and completeness of the content in this publication. Nothing in this publication should be construed as providing professional advice including investment advice on the matters discussed. The author does not assume any liability arising from any form of reliance on this publication. Readers are cautioned to always seek independent professional advice from a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    After showing strength in late 2022 and early 2023, consumer spending appears to be stalling. Retail sales were flat in June, based on preliminary estimates from Statistics Canada. That followed a 0.2% increase the previous month, falling short of the 0.5% increase economics were expecting. This slowing in consumption is more pronounced after … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Canadian Retail Sales Stalling as Higher Rates Take a Bite”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nCanadian Retail Sales Stalling as Higher Rates Take a Bite - Brokers | Real Estate Secured Mortgage Investments<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Canadian Retail Sales Stalling as Higher Rates Take a Bite - Brokers | Real Estate Secured Mortgage Investments\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    After showing strength in late 2022 and early 2023, consumer spending appears to be stalling. 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