Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week

 

TORONTO -- Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week:

Wilkins speech

Bank of Canada senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins will speak on Wednesday before the Economic Club of Canada on central banking in a slow-growth world. The central bank kept its key interest rate on hold at 1.75 per cent in the face of a slower-than-expected start to 2020 for the Canadian economy, but governor Stephen Poloz left the door open to a rate cut if the weakness is more persistent than expected.

Suncor results

Suncor Energy Inc. is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter and full-year results on Wednesday after the close of trading and hold a conference call with financial analysts on Thursday morning. The oilsands giant said in December that it expected to keep capital spending related to its oil operations flat in 2020 while moving forward with a new $300-million wind power project in southern Alberta.

BCE earnings

BCE Inc. will report its fourth-quarter results and provide its guidance for 2020 on Thursday. The event will be Mirko Bibic's first as BCE's chief executive. In October, the company's wireless division reported record third-quarter subscriber additions and a good competitive position amid major industry changes such as new unlimited data plans and device financing options.

Latest jobs numbers

Statistics Canada will release its labour force survey for January on Friday. The agency announced in January that the unemployment rate fell to 5.6 per cent in December, compared with a rate of 5.9 per cent in November when the country lost 71,200 jobs, the biggest monthly loss of jobs since the financial crisis.

CAE update

CAE Inc. executives discuss its third-quarter results on Friday. The flight simulator maker's shares have hit a string of record highs since Jan. 10 when Boeing Co. recommended that pilots train in simulators before flying its grounded 737 Max.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 2, 2020.

The Canadian Press