The Financial Post reports in its Friday edition that Canada's gross domestic product surprised markets and experts on several fronts Thursday, but economists say the data suggest the economy is stalling. The Post's Gigi Suhanic writes that Statscan reported that third-quarter GDP contracted 1.1 per cent, compared with expectations of 0.1-per-cent growth. The agency also revised the second-quarter reading up to 1.4-per-cent growth, ruling out a technical recession or two straight quarters of contraction. James Orlando at TD Economics said: "There is no reason for the Bank of Canada to hike again. When the BOC decided to hike in June and July it was because Q1 2023 growth was surging alongside a recoil in housing demand. But that was short-lived, with spending, employment gains, and overall inflation easing ever since. We expect below-trend economic growth to continue over the coming months, which will push inflation gradually closer to the two per cent target. This will give the BOC a few months before it starts to prepare markets for rate cuts, which we expect will start in April 2024." Meanwhile, Tu Nguyen at RSM Canada said, "It's time to switch the discussion from potential rate hikes to potential rate cuts."