Bank of Canada holds interest rate

The Bank of Canada left its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday following two straight hikes but suggested future increases are still likely, albeit at a more gradual pace.

In its scheduled announcement, the central bank said it held off this time in part because it expects the recent strength of the Canadian dollar to slow the rise in the pace of inflation.

To make its case, the bank also pointed to the substantial, persistent unknowns around geopolitical developments as well as U.S.-related fiscal and trade policies, such as the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Governor Stephen Poloz has introduced two rate hikes since July — at consecutive policy meetings — in response to the economy’s impressive run over the last four quarters. The increases removed the two rate cuts introduced in 2015 as insurance following the collapse in oil prices.

The bank suggested Wednesday that it will stick to its rate-hiking trajectory, although at perhaps a more-tentative pace.

“While less monetary policy stimulus will likely be required over time, governing council will be cautious in making future adjustments to the policy rate,” the bank said in a statement.

The bank stressed it will pay particular attention to incoming data to assess four areas: the unfolding impact of higher interest rates on indebted households, the evolution of the economy’s capacity, wage growth and inflation. Its next rate announcement is set for Dec. 6.

Later Wednesday, Poloz told reporters that almost any departure from the bank’s projections on these four issues would be fodder for deeper discussion about the trend-setting rate.

“We must be open. We can be surprised in either direction relative to our forecast,” Poloz said. “But we need to be extremely interpretive of those movements.”