Douglas Porter

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.

Focus

Focus is the flagship publication of the BMO Economics team. This weekly publication covers major economic developments, provides updated forecasts, looks ahead to the key events of the upcoming week, and provides detailed insights into key economic issues.
Focus

Global Markets Commentary

Our experts provide an overview of recent global events and their impact on the markets.
Global Markets Commentary

Weekly Strategy Perspectives: Level-setting the ABCs of 2026

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...

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Weekly Strategy Perspectives: Surprise, Surprise

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...

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Top 5 wealth lessons learned in 2025

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...

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Weekly Strategy Perspectives: Fearless Forecasts

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...

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Economic Outlook: Insights Into 2026

Despite trade uncertainty due to U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports, the Canadian economy has held up better than we would have expected.......

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Weekly Strategy Perspectives: Holiday Shoppers - Hopeful Harbinger or Hopelessly Over Their Skis?

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...

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Weekly Strategy Perspectives: The Fed’s Duel(ing) Mandate

The Through Line: The Fed’s next interest rate decision has been hotly debated among finance types for weeks. Unlike other central banks whose only objective is controlling inflation, the U.S. Federal Reserve......

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Weekly Strategy Perspectives: Anx-AI-ety

The Through Line: AI’s leap into public consciousness is barely three years old, yet it can be hard to recall a time when its progress or impact didn’t enter the conversation......

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Weekly Strategy Perspectives: Q3 Earnings Learnings

The Through Line: A dearth of official data (thanks to the longest U.S. government shutdown on record) needn’t prevent investors from gathering the information necessary......

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Weekly Strategy Perspectives: Debt Dilemma

Debt of all flavors has ballooned over the past several decades thanks to low interest rates, willing lenders and increasingly sophisticated ways to borrow. This week’s piece focuses on sovereign (a.k.a. government) debt, the allure......

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