The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition that the Bank of Canada is expected to cut its interest rate by 25 basis points on Wednesday, bringing it to 2.75 per cent. The Post's Jordan Gowling writes that this would mark a seventh consecutive cut, with the current rate at 3 per cent, still within the neutral range of 2.25 to 3.25 per cent. C.D. Howe Institute's Jeremy Kronick says: "There's no harm in getting back to the midpoint of that range. Certainly, with this much uncertainty, I think there is a lot of value in signalling that support." During the last rate announcement, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said policy-makers will have to balance the impact of a tariff shock, which could lead to weaker economic growth, but higher inflation. Economists say recent data suggest there would have been a case made for the BOC to hold its rate on Wednesday, absent any trade conflict. Canada's economy finished stronger than expected in the fourth quarter of 2024, growing at an annual pace of 2.6 per cent. National Bank economists say in a note, "Unlike prior decisions though, easing will be less about absorbing already-accumulated economic slack and more about supporting an economy mired in trade conflict."