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

The Royal Bank of Canada sign is seen at its former head office in downtown Toronto, Dec. 2, 2011. (Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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

Banking conference

RBC Capital Markets will hold its 2020 bank CEO conference on Tuesday in Toronto, featuring the CEOs of the Big Five banks. RBC chief executive Dave McKay recently said he expects the bank to face a challenging environment in the coming year amid uncertainty around interest rates, but believes it's well-prepared to gain market share.

Housing starts

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will release preliminary housing start data for December on Thursday. CMHC's report for November found that the annual pace of housing starts edged 0.3 per cent higher compared with October, although there were declines in five provinces.

Poloz appearance

Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz will participate in a fireside chat at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade's economic outlook forum on Thursday. Poloz recently told an audience in Toronto that the global economy appears set for continued slow growth and that low global interest rates are likely to persist.

Aritzia results

Fashion designer and retail Aritzia Inc. will hold its third-quarter conference call on Thursday. The retailer reported that net income rose by about 19 per cent in the second quarter compared with a year earlier as it expanded its online sales and store count.

Jobs numbers

Statistics Canada will release its labour force survey for December on Friday. The agency's previous report revealed that the Canadian economy posted its biggest monthly job loss since the financial crisis as the unemployment rate pushed higher in November.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2020.