Central bank holds interest rate at 5 per cent as inflation appears to cool

The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 5 per cent on Wednesday, citing continued concerns about the inflation outlook. The bank has held its rate at 5 per cent since last July. “It’s still too early to consider lowering the policy interest rate,” said Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem, during his opening remarks. “Looking ahead, we continue to expect inflation will be close to 3 per cent through the middle of the year before easing in the second half.”The inf