Chief Economist and Managing Director Economics
Douglas Porter has over 30 years of experience analyzing global economies and financial markets. As Chief Economist at BMO Financial Group and author of the popular Talking Points, he oversees the macroeconomic and financial market forecasts and co-writes the firm’s weekly flagship publication, Focus. Mr. Porter manages the team that has won numerous forecasting awards. Most recently, Douglas led the team to a #1 ranking for Top U.S. Forecaster among 60 global firms in the 2023 Focus Economics Survey, and #1 for Top Canadian Inflation Forecaster among 28 firms. Also, his team took the #1 spot in the StarMine Awards for Most Accurate Forecasters for Canada in 2022.
As a respected commentator on economic and financial trends, he is regularly quoted in the national press and often interviewed on radio and television.
The Through Line: After an extended period of relative calm, volatility has reasserted itself into capital markets. Fluctuating asset prices are nerve wracking – especially when they happen suddenly or with great velocity. Yet price volatility by its...
You’ve likely spent decades saving and planning for retirement, but do you have a plan for how to tap into your hard-earned savings? Potentially not. Too many Canadians overlook this critical step in retirement planning: withdrawing savings......
The Through Line: The wellbeing of the labor market preoccupied commentators, policy makers, Fed watchers and job hunters for much of 2025......
Every generation experiences money-related challenges, but with soaring housing prices, mounting student debt and an unforgiving job market, many young Canadians are feeling the strain. The impacts of these financial headwinds could be spilling into...
The Through Line: In 2025, we saw a swarm of trends, concerns and surprises – many of which will follow us into the new year. Some of the themes rhymed with prior periods, while others permanently bent the arc of specific trajectories. Investors may...
The Through Line: For writers and poets, surprise is a gift. But investors hate plot twists – and 2025 had more than its fair share. We look back at some of the year’s biggest eye-openers, highlighting key lessons that can be carried forward into the...
This past year will be remembered as a roller coaster ride. Between increasing tariffs, falling interest rates, fluctuating economic growth, and the familiar estate planning and tax-related issues that always arise, there was plenty to keep us on our...
The Through Line: It’s been a year of market-moving events on every front imaginable – from sharply pivoting trade policy to technological innovation. Yet, global equity indexes have powered through in fine fashion, flirting with double-digit gains f...
Despite trade uncertainty due to U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports, the Canadian economy has held up better than we would have expected.......
The Through Line: The critical holiday shopping season is in full swing, with consumers on the hunt for bargains. Investors, on the other hand, are busy tracking down themes that can help them peg the trajectory for 2026, reflecting consumption’s pre...