The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Jan. 21, edition that Canadian businesses and consumers are gaining confidence in the economy following recent interest-rate cuts, though concerns remain about U.S. tariffs, according to two Bank of Canada surveys released Monday. The Globe's Mark Rendell writes that the BOC's November Business Outlook Survey found more companies expect sales to improve and plan to resume investments that were on hold due to high interest rates and low customer demand. A separate survey found consumers are more optimistic about their finances and plan to increase spending, though nearly half still expect a recession in 2025. Together, the surveys show the BOC's quick succession of rate cuts since the summer are feeding through to households and businesses. Additionally, declining inflation is leading to lower price increase expectations, which may allow for further interest-rate cuts. Financial markets expect the BOC to continue easing monetary policy at its next rate announcement on Jan. 29, with investors putting the odds of another quarter-point cut at about 75 per cent. Desjardins macro strategist Royce Mendes expects a 25-basis-point rate reduction from the BOC next week.