Economist: If not for the Iran issue, Canada should consider lowering interest rates.

Douglas Porter, Chief Economist of the Bank of Montreal in Canada, stated that the inflation report for March in Canada could have been worse. The increase in energy prices pushed the inflation rate up from 1.8% last month to 2.4%, but it did not reach the expected increase of 2.6%. The rise in inflation was driven in part by energy-related factors, while items such as telephone services, car insurance, furniture, and some housing costs experienced declines. Porter said that this indicates that "the fundamentals of the economy are relatively weak". Therefore, potential inflation seems to be under control. If it weren't for the conflict in Iran, the current focus of discussion would be on the possibility of the Bank of Canada lowering interest rates rather than raising them.