The Financial Post reports in its Thursday, Dec. 12, edition that Desjardins economist Royce Mendes says, "Canadian central bankers chose to roll the dice with a second consecutive 50-basis-point rate cut." The Post's Gigi Suhanic writes that Mr. Mendes had been one of the outliers among economists calling for a 25-basis-point cut instead of the market-favoured 50 basis points. However, Mr. Mendes does not think the BOC's second jumbo cut is a sign that it is front-loading its rate-cutting campaign and that it will end at a higher level than expected. He expects another 25-basis-point cut when policy-makers meet for the first time in the new year on Jan. 29. After that, Canadians should expect a "pause" in the rate-cutting cycle. Mr. Mendes says, "A pause would give officials time to assess how past rate cuts are feeding through after this aggressive pace of easing." Desjardins is sticking with its forecast for rates to ultimately fall to 2 per cent by early 2026 on the expectation that Canadian exports to the United States will be hit with tariffs. However, the cycle of rate cut after rate cut appears to be over in Mr. Mendes's opinion. He says, "We do expect a number of pauses along the way."