The BOC statement is due at 10 am ET (1500 GMT) Wednesday 7 March

  • There is no press conference
  • BOC's Lane will follow up in a speech on Thursday to talk about the decision

Adam posted his preview here:

Here are a couple via ...

CIBC:

  • The Bank of Canada won't surprise anyone by keeping rates unchanged.
  • A distaste for forward guidance will keep the BoC from delivering any clear-cut signals of what lies ahead.
  • They will retain the view that rates will eventually be higher, but will have enough cautionary words about the outlook to justify a stand-pat stance this month.
  • It can, and should, ease back on the timetable for additional rate hikes given the impending threat to both exports and capital spending. As markets factor in that outcome, they will, as we've seen, take the Canadian dollar weaker, helping other exporters in the process.
  • The central bank has other reasons to put its rate hike tool on hold until at least early summer, and limit this year's further tightening to a single quarter-point dose. Weakness in net trade already contributed to a much slower pace of growth in the latter half of 2017. There are signs of a drop in housing turnover under B20 rules early in 2018. Statistics Canada's large-scale survey of corporate intentions showed that a retreat in energy sector plans, hit by adverse pricing and pipeline issues in western Canada, has total business capital spending heading for a nominal decline this year. If trade turns ugly, we're going to have to tread gently on an indebted household sector to keep the economy in gear

RBC:

  • The BoC's statement-only meeting on Wednesday is universally expected to see the overnight rate stable at 1.25% after a 25bp hike in January.
  • Despite the 88K fall in employment in January, the extended strong performance of the labour market and improvement in non-headline areas mean that the BoC views will likely have changed little here.
  • Inflation has continued to evolve largely as the BoC expected, with the extended rise of the BoC's core measures (last averaging 1.83% in January) a sign of the earlier diminishing of slack feeding through into prices.
  • Highlighted risks should include ongoing NAFTA uncertainty and its impact on business investment, as well as the elevated sensitivity of households to higher interest rates.

(bolding mine)