Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem, in the latest policy meeting minutes, has sent clear hawkish signals, warning that if gasoline prices remain high for the long term and push up the costs of other goods and services, the central bank may have to restart interest-rate hikes. Although earlier this month the Bank of Canada kept its benchmark rate unchanged at 2.25%, the minutes emphasized that the risk of rising energy costs feeding through into overall CPI is increasing, and that monetary policy must be ready at any time to tighten in order to curb the spread of inflation.
This stance has significantly shattered the market’s previously blind optimism about a major-countries rate-cut cycle. Against the backdrop of widespread expectations that global inflation is under control and that easier policy is just around the corner, Canada’s central bank—an important G7 member—has taken the lead in flagging the risk of second-round inflation triggered by energy costs. This suggests the anti-inflation battle is far from over, and the tail risk that rates will remain elevated for longer (“higher for longer”) or even return to hikes is meaningfully rising.
For traditional financial markets, this hawkish position will directly lift sovereign bond yields, limit the room for valuation that prices in rate-cut expectations, and weigh on highly valued risk assets such as equities. As volatility in commodity prices increases, policy divergence and uncertainty among overseas central banks will fuel a rise in global risk-off sentiment. Safe-haven assets such as the U.S. dollar may receive intermittent support, while investors’ risk appetite faces pressure for a pullback.
For crypto-asset markets, a renewed tightening in expectations for macro liquidity will directly limit the inflow of incremental capital. Risk assets, represented by
$BTC , are particularly vulnerable to tests of liquidity withdrawal and valuation pullbacks in the absence of supportive easing narratives. Under the dual pressure of sticky inflation and a firm central-bank stance, investors should remain highly cautious and guard against downside volatility triggered by deleveraging.
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