Canada’s economy contracted during 2nd quarter, StatsCan says

Agency also revised its reading for growth in 1st quarter.

The Canadian economy appeared to stall in the second quarter as investment in housing continued to fall, led by a drop in new construction.

Statistics Canada said Friday the economy contracted at an annualized rate of 0.2 per cent in the second quarter.

The agency also revised its reading for growth in the first quarter to an annual pace of 2.6 per cent, down from 3.1 per cent.

The decline in the second quarter came as housing investment fell 2.1 per cent to post its fifth consecutive quarterly decrease. New construction dropped 8.2 per cent in the quarter, while renovation spending also fell 4.3 per cent.

The drop in spending came as Canadians face higher borrowing costs fuelled by interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada, which is trying to bring inflation back to its target of two per cent.

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