Canada CPI-trim Year-over-Year

Canada CPI-trim Year-over-Year is a Bank of Canada preferred core inflation measure that excludes the most extreme CPI component price changes and tracks the annual pace of underlying inflation.

Economic IndicatorsHigh volatilityCPI Trimmed-Mean YoYCanada CPI-trim YoYCanadian trimmed mean CPICanada trimmed-mean CPI inflation

Full explanation

Canada CPI-trim Year-over-Year measures the annual change in a core inflation gauge designed to show broad underlying price pressure in Canada. Instead of using every CPI component equally as headline inflation does, CPI-trim removes components with the most extreme price changes in each period and calculates inflation from the remaining weighted distribution. Statistics Canada publishes the measure monthly using Bank of Canada definitions, based on CPI components that have been adjusted for indirect tax effects and seasonal patterns. It is one of the Bank of Canada’s preferred core inflation measures, alongside CPI-median and CPI-common.

Why traders watch it

Traders watch CPI-trim because it helps assess whether Canadian inflation pressure is broad and persistent rather than driven by a small number of volatile components. Surprises can affect expectations for Bank of Canada policy, Canadian government bond yields and the Canadian dollar.

Stronger vs weaker outcomes

A higher-than-expected reading may suggest firmer underlying inflation and could increase expectations that monetary policy stays restrictive for longer. A lower-than-expected reading may suggest softer underlying price pressure, but markets usually compare it with headline CPI, CPI-median, CPI-common, wages and Bank of Canada commentary.

Typical volatility

High. CPI-trim is a core measure, not the full cost-of-living CPI, so it can diverge from headline inflation when energy, food or other volatile items move sharply. The series can also be revised as seasonal adjustment and CPI component information are updated.

Related indicators