
Hilliard MacBeth
Author of "When the Bubble Bursts: Surviving the Canadian Real Estate Crash"
September 21st, 2023 | Governments Rarely Survive Voter Pain from Foreclosures
HoweStreet.com Radio - Scandal plagued Ontario Premier Ford stops Green Belt housing plan
September 15th, 2023 | A Minsky Moment For Canada Has Arrived
Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - Canada’s Minsky Moment has arrived, as the demand for new credit slows and a substantial portion of household mortgage borrowers are not paying the interest on their debt, much less repaying the principal. Hyman Minsky was an American economist who focused on the business cycle and debt. Since mainstream economics ignores debt, banking and financial […]
September 8th, 2023 | The Bank of Canada Pauses But Rate Cuts Are Not Coming Soon
Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - The Bank of Canada goes on hold, with no rate hike this week. But those expecting significant interest rate cuts any time soon will be disappointed. The end of the multi-decade period of declining rates passed without much fanfare. But rates in Canada are now as high as they were 23 years ago. This happened […]
September 1st, 2023 | Crude Oil Demand Will Suffer as Transport Goes Electric
Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - While the world’s crude oil consumption will soon start to decline, many investors expect there will be robust demand for crude oil for decades to come. But it is not too early to analyze the impact of declining demand for crude oil when choosing long-term investments. Most investors based in Canada, and especially Alberta, believe […]
August 25th, 2023 | Solar Energy Capacity For Electricity Production Soars Worldwide
Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - The pace of installations for new solar electricity production continues to surprise everyone, even industry insiders. Close to 400 gigawatts of capacity will be installed worldwide in 2023, with forecasts for as much as 563 gigawatts in 2025. Solar is now cheap and easy to install, especially on residential rooftops where permitting is not a […]
August 24th, 2023 | Will China’s Real Estate Crisis Reach North America?
HoweStreet.com Radio - Can you expect more housing on the market this fall?
August 18th, 2023 | Inflation Moderates But Still Could Bite Hard
Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - The headline measure was recorded as 3.2 percent from a year ago, while the closely watched core CPI was a more troublesome 4.7 percent. Is inflation beaten yet? In the mid-1970s a concentrated advertising campaign was orchestrated by the U. S. government to demonstrate a willingness to beat inflation at all costs. President Ford named […]
August 11th, 2023 | Deflation Risk in China is Real
Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - The risk of deflation in China is real. A moderating pace of growth, large private sector debts and a slowdown in the crucial property sector suggest lower income, prices and deflation. Is China entering a debt deflation spiral? China has enjoyed a longer-than-four-decades income and wealth expansion that has rarely happened in the thousands of […]
August 4th, 2023 | Ratings Agency Downgrades US Debt Triggering Widespread Criticism
Hilliard's Weekend Notebook - The U.S. government bonds were downgraded a notch by the ratings agency, Fitch. This means the safety of the US treasuries has slipped and there is growing concern about the longer-term outlook for debt. Is the U.S. government at risk of default? Economists reacted negatively to the downgrade with Larry Summers calling it “absurd” […]