Home prices weakened in the second half of 2018 in most of the metropolitan areas
constituents of the Teranet-National Bank Composite HPI. The Calgary index did not rise
for a sixth month in a row in December. It was a fifth month in a row for Vancouver, and
a fourth one for Edmonton. Weakness became apparent in Q4 for six other metropolitan
areas, when only Montreal and Ottawa-Gatineau experienced home price growth (left
chart). This is the worst 3-month diffusion for December in five years. This conclusion
still holds If we also include in the sample 14 other Canadian metropolitan areas for
which a Teranet-National Bank HPI is available (although not integrated in the national
composite index) – right chart. Higher mortgage rates and tougher qualification rules are
causing the cooling in most major home resale markets in Canada. The recent increase
in vacant new dwellings may also add to downward price pressure in some markets. At
this juncture, we continue to expect a soft landing of the Canadian home resale market.

.January 2019