Canadian real GDP grew by 0.7% in November, following a 0.4% increase in the previous month. This is the seventh consecutive monthly gain since the steepest drops in Canadian history was observed in March and April. This brings GDP 3% below the February pre-pandemic level of output. Fourteen of the twenty industries reported an increase in output. Leading the increase were the mining and oil and gas sectors (3.9%) due to higher international demand. Manufacturing was up (1.7%) as a result of higher inventory formation, and multiple global COVID-19 vaccine announcements drove activity in finance and insurance (1.3%). In contrast, declines were reported at clothing stores (-5.4%), personal care stores (-1.8%), auto dealers (-0.6%), and real estate agent and broker offices (-2.6%). Housing resale activity was down in November in the majority of large Canadian cities.
Early estimates from Statistics Canada indicate that real GDP grew by 0.3% in December. This is good news, indicating that the economy is showing resilience given the second wave of infections and lockdowns in many large provinces.
