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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu

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Bryan Yu: Small business confidence steadies as B.C. inflation cools sharply

  Small business confidence was roughly unchanged in January, according to the latest readings from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business....

05.02.2026 30

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: B.C. housing market is weaker than the numbers suggest

The housing market showed mixed signals in December. Home sales remained tepid to end the year, while housing starts gained steam for a second...

30.01.2026 30

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: Buyer's market tightens its grip on Metro Vancouver

B.C.’s Lower Mainland housing market wrapped up a dismal year for the sector with another tepid performance in December. Local real estate board...

23.01.2026 50

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Bryan Yu: Why B.C.’s economic momentum is starting to fade

Retail spending slowed into the fourth quarter, pointing to more tempered consumer demand heading into 2026 as weaker population growth has...

15.01.2026 20

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Bryan Yu: Metro Vancouver home sales sink to near 25-year low

Metro Vancouver’s regional housing market looks to be ending off on a weak note with few signs of momentum heading into 2026. MLS sales in the...

18.12.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Weak hiring momentum exposes cracks across B.C.’s economy

The tepid pace of B.C. hiring continued in September as payroll counts captured by the Survey of Employment, Payroll and Hours (SEPH) were virtually...

11.12.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: Retail spending holds on while B.C. housing sputters

Canadian retail sales fell 0.7 per cent in September to $69.8 billion to partially reverse the one per cent gain the prior month. Levels have been...

04.12.2025 10

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Manufacturing in B.C.down

B.C.’s manufacturing sector posted a small decline in sales during September, maintaining its range-bound pattern amidst a challenging trade and...

29.11.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Small gains can’t hide the stagnation in B.C.’s manufacturing sector

B.C.’s manufacturing sector posted a small decline in sales during September, maintaining its range-bound pattern amidst a challenging trade and...

27.11.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: Economic headwinds weigh on B.C. jobs and housing

HEAD: DATA POINTS Bryan Yu   While the national labour market picture firmed in October with a surprise employment pop and retreat in the...

20.11.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Small business outlook dims as costs, uncertainty climb

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business Barometer survey showed a weaker long-term outlook and a virtually unchanged short-term outlook in...

14.11.2025 20

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: Rising food costs test B.C. families despite easing inflation

British Columbia’s inflation rate edged up in September to 1.9 per cent year over year, up from 1.8 per cent in August, although excluding both food...

06.11.2025 10

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Bryan Yu

Real estate market slows

B.C. home sales reversed course in September following three consecutive monthly increases. MLS sales fell three per cent month over month to a...

31.10.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. housing market loses momentum as affordability strains persist

B.C. home sales reversed course in September following three consecutive monthly increases. MLS sales fell three per cent month over month to a...

30.10.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Trade deficit grows as B.C. exporters face tougher U.S. market

Canada’s merchandise exports fell by three per cent in August to a seasonally adjusted $60.5 billion. This was the second lowest month of the year...

23.10.2025 30

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Bryan Yu: B.C. entering an era of housing restraint

Housing market conditions in B.C.’s Lower Mainland remained sluggish through September. After recovering in recent months following a tariff...

16.10.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: B.C. shoppers still spending even as labour market loses steam

Canadian retail sales decreased 0.8 per cent in July to $69.6 billion to partly reverse the prior month increase of 1.6 per cent. The largest decrease...

09.10.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: Weak sales, rising listings push toward B.C. buyer’s market

B.C.’s housing market momentum was positive in August as it firmed following the tariff uncertainty in the spring, but conditions remained weak. ...

02.10.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Resilient B.C. bucking the national export slump

The Canadian economy remains mired in a tariff and trade-induced slowdown. While exports rose for a third straight month with a 0.9 per cent gain,...

25.09.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Housing slowdown drags B.C. sales to weakest August in years

B.C.’s Lower Mainland housing market activity remained sluggish through August, even as activity edged up after adjusting for normal seasonal...

18.09.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. tourism numbers take a tumble along with jobs

B.C. employee headcount decreased in June after a flat May to maintain the lacklustre trend of hiring, according to the latest figures from Statistics...

11.09.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Falling energy prices mask the real inflation story in B.C.

In July, British Columbia’s annual inflation rate slowed to 1.7 per cent, matching the national average and a drop from 2.1 per cent in June. Core...

04.09.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Tariffs, weak hiring weigh on B.C.’s economy as retail spending cools

Retail spending decreased in B.C. and across the country in May, signalling a moderation in consumer demand and some impact from retaliatory tariffs...

14.08.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. inflation eases but rising tariffs, housing risks keep pressure on

In contrast to an uptick in the national inflation rate, British Columbia’s rate fell in June to 2.1 per cent year-over-year, from 2.3 per cent in...

31.07.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: B.C. labour market tightens, but full-time jobs take a hit

British Columbia’s labour market continued its upward hiring trend in June, adding 5,000 people, a 0.2 per cent increase and its fourth consecutive...

24.07.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Lower Mainland home sales show signs of life at start of summer

Home sales in the Lower Mainland showed signs of improvement in June, remaining low but gaining traction as economic uncertainty eased and...

17.07.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: Small business confidence rebounds in B.C. but national mood still cautious

Sentiment among small and medium-sized businesses improved in June, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) Barometer...

04.07.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Small business confidence rebounds in B.C. but national mood still cautious

Sentiment among small and medium-sized businesses improved in June, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) Barometer...

03.07.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. manufacturing, construction see declines amid headwinds

Manufacturing sales in British Columbia fell for a third consecutive month in April, dipping 1.9 per cent to $5.2 billion. The decline was attributed...

26.06.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: Metro Vancouver home sales tick up but market still stuck in slump

Housing market activity in the Lower Mainland in May edged higher, potentially signaling a bottom in sales after an uncertainty-driven downturn that...

19.06.2025 20

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Gauging business climate

Small business sentiment continued to bounce back from trade war woes in May but remained at a level consistent with a recession. Nationally, the...

13.06.2025 20

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Bryan Yu: B.C. businesses show signs of life but economic chill persists

Small business sentiment continued to bounce back from trade war woes in May but remained at a level consistent with a recession. Nationally, the...

12.06.2025 10

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: B.C. retail sales see slight rebound as provincial inflation eases

While underperforming the national retail sales bounce registered in March of this year, B.C. retail spending did rebound with a 0.3-per-cent increase...

05.06.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. housing stalls again as buyers wait and builders push ahead

B.C.’s housing market deteriorated again in April with a fifth consecutive month of lower sales. According to Canadian Real Estate Association data,...

29.05.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Buyers seize control as B.C. home sales hit a pandemic-era low

Economic uncertainty drove home sales and prices down again in B.C.’s Lower Mainland in April and pushed the market deeper into buyers’ territory....

22.05.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Tourists back off as inflation backs down in B.C.

The number of non-resident visitors entering Canada through British Columbia declined again in February. On a seasonally adjusted basis, there were...

15.05.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. job vacancies hit seven-year low as tariffs slow retail spending

Canadian retail sales fell by 0.4 per cent on a seasonally adjusted basis in February, largely due to lower sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers,...

08.05.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: Tariff turmoil eases but B.C. businesses still on edge

Canadian small business confidence recovered slightly in April following the tariff-threat-driven crash in March, according to the Canadian Federation...

01.05.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. building activity drives national gain, provincial trade falters

B.C. was an outsized driver of Canada’s national increase in building permits in February. Permit issuances in the province jumped 22.7 per cent (up...

24.04.2025 10

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: B.C. housing feeling the chill of global trade storm

Tariff uncertainty continued to weigh on Vancouver’s housing market in March, deepening the slowdown in activity. Escalating U.S. trade actions have...

17.04.2025 10

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Bryan Yu

Small business outlook

B.C. job counts were unchanged in January according to Statistics Canada’s latest Survey of Employers, Payroll and Hours at 2.56 million positions,...

11.04.2025 10

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Bryan Yu: B.C. job vacancies reach lowest level in years, SME sentiment falls

B.C. job counts were unchanged in January according to Statistics Canada’s latest Survey of Employers, Payroll and Hours at 2.56 million positions,...

10.04.2025 10

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: B.C. inflation accelerates as home sales retreat for a third month

B.C.’s inflation rate accelerated in February, corresponding with a strong national increase. On a year-over-year basis, headline inflation rose to...

03.04.2025 20

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: B.C. manufacturing sees boost, but uncertainty looms

B.C. manufacturing sales increased in January by 2.4 per cent following months of meagre gains. The uptick was a result of higher non-durable goods...

27.03.2025 20

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Bryan Yu

Bryan Yu: B.C. wages dip amid rising business uncertainty

Following three months of declines, B.C. job counts steadied in December according to Statistics Canada’s latest Survey of Employers, Payroll and...

13.03.2025 10

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