The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday, March 4, edition that the Bank of Canada is expected to keep interest rates steady this week, but stay mum on future cuts, even though inflation has dropped within the bank's target range. The Globe's Mark Rendell writes that Bay Street analysts see the BOC keeping its policy rate at 5 per cent on Wednesday for the fifth consecutive rate announcement. After increasing borrowing costs 10 times in 2022 and the first half of 2023, the BOC has been on hold since July, waiting for sluggish economic activity to pull inflation back down to Earth. Governor Tiff Macklem said in January that additional rate increases are now unlikely -- an important shift after months of threatening further hikes. However, he avoided giving a timeline for rate cuts, and said that he would not consider easing monetary policy until core inflation measures show "clear downward momentum." BMO analyst Benjamin Reitzes says in a note: "Since the January policy announcement, the data have been mixed, with growth coming in a bit better than anticipated, while the latest CPI report was the most encouraging in years. ... Those reports aren't enough to move the needle for the BOC."