StatCan says economy down 0.1% in Nov.

OTTAWA— The Canadian economy weakened in November as the wholesale trade and manufacturing sectors pulled back.

Statistics Canada said Thursday real gross domestic product fell 0.1 per cent in November following an increase of 0.3 per cent in October.

The report was in line with estimates that the contraction would be 0.1 per cent for the month, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

Benjamin Reitzes, Canadian rates and macro strategist at BMO Capital Markets, said the report changes little for the Bank of Canada, but reinforces that they’ll be extremely patient with policy.

“The Canadian economy had a tough stretch through the latter stages of 2018, and the oil production cuts will make the early 2019 data look soft as well,” Reitzes wrote in a report.