Rates and outlook

Where mortgage rates are heading.

The bond market sets fixed pricing and the Bank of Canada sets variable. Both are readable if you know where to look. This page updates on its own, every day.

30-day fixed rate outlookMedium confidence
Direction
Probability
Expected move
→ Flat
50%
0–3 bps

Government bond rates are up 14 bps over the last 30 days, but the shorter-term moves don't yet agree on a clear trend. Holding off on a directional call until the signal firms up.

5Y Government of Canada bond2026-08-14
3.28%↑ 14 bps over 30 days

This is what lenders watch to price 5-year fixed mortgages. When it moves, fixed rates usually follow within days to a few weeks.

Bank of CanadaNext: September 2, 2026
2.25%target overnight rate

Prime rate 4.45%, which sits 2.20% above the overnight rate.

Variable rates move with prime, and prime moves when the Bank of Canada changes this.

Where rates have beenThrough May 1, 2026

Average rate on newly funded insured 5-year-plus mortgages across Canada. Not a quote and not an offer, but the closest thing there is to what people were actually charged.

2%3%4%5%6%201820192020202120222023202420252026
Low · 2021
1.91%
High · 2023
5.64%
Most recent
3.97%

Bank of Canada series V122667780. Published monthly with roughly a six week lag, so the most recent point trails today.

Next Bank of Canada decision · market pricing

September 2, 2026 · 15 days away

Cut
0%
Pause
66%
Hike
34%

Implied by CORRA futures pricing, which is what traders are actually betting on. It is a read of the market, not a prediction of our own.

What moves rates next
August 17, 2026
08:30 ET
CPI release
Top driver of BoC expectations.
August 28, 2026
08:30 ET
GDP
Quarterly GDP is the broadest growth read.
September 2, 2026
09:45 ET
BoC rate decision
Direct driver of variable rates and prime.
September 4, 2026
08:30 ET
Employment (LFS)
Strong job gains push bonds up; weak hiring pulls bonds down.

What this means for you

If you hold a variable rate

Your rate moves when the Bank of Canada moves, because prime follows the policy rate. Between decisions, nothing changes for you no matter what bond yields do. The next scheduled decision is September 2, 2026.

If you are shopping a fixed rate

Watch the 5-year bond, not the Bank of Canada. Fixed pricing follows bond yields, which is why a fixed rate can move in a week when the Bank has not met at all. Lenders reprice with a lag, and not always in full.

If you are renewing

Your renewal is priced off the market on the day you renew, not off any single announcement. Start comparing three to four months out. You can switch lenders at the end of a term with no prepayment penalty.

If you are deciding between the two

Fixed buys payment certainty. Variable buys flexibility and a lower penalty if you break early. Neither is automatically right, and a forecast is a poor reason to pick one. Your budget room and how long you will hold the mortgage matter more.

Market direction is one input. What you actually qualify for depends on your file, the property and the lender. If you want your real number, that is a fifteen minute call.

Book a callBridge loan calculator

Figures are published yields and policy rates, not an offer or a rate quote. The outlook is a probability read of the bond market, not a guarantee. What you qualify for depends on your file, the property, timing and lender criteria at the time of application.