Stephen Poloz

Last updated

Stephen Poloz
Stephen Poloz, Governor of the Bank of Canada (42851833384) (cropped).jpg
Poloz in July 2018
9th Governor of the Bank of Canada
In office
June 3, 2013 June 3, 2020
Signature Stephen S. Poloz , Signature , 2015.png

Stephen S. Poloz (born 1955) is a Canadian banker and was the governor of the Bank of Canada from 2013 to 2020. [1] He is also a member of the board of directors for the Bank for International Settlements. [2]

Contents

Background

Poloz was born in Oshawa, the son of a mould maker. His father is of Ukrainian and Polish descent, and his mother is of English and Scottish ancestry, and a descendant of George Stephen, 1st Baron Mount Stephen. [3] [4] Poloz holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Queen's University and Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in economics from the University of Western Ontario. He is also a graduate of Columbia University's senior executive program and is a Certified International Trade Professional. [5] His doctoral thesis was on currency movements. [6]

Education

Stephen Poloz received his bachelor's degree in 1978 from the Queen's University at Kingston, Canada. He majored in economics. He received his master's degree in economics in 1979 from the University of Western Ontario, and then a PhD in economics in 1982 from the same institution.[ citation needed ]

In 2017, Trent University Durham GTA awarded Poloz an honorary PhD degree. [7]

Career

From 1981 to 1994 Poloz worked for the Bank of Canada, before leaving as chief of the research department to become managing editor of BCA Research from 1994 to 1999. Poloz joined Export Development Canada in 1999 and became its president and CEO in 2010. [8] He has been a visiting scholar with the "Economic Planning Agency" in Tokyo and at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, DC. [5]

Poloz attended the 62nd Bilderberg Annual Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2014, where one of the subjects discussed was the situation in Ukraine. [9]

Poloz holds an honorary Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation from the Forum for International Trade Training. [10] He is a past president of the Ottawa Economics Association. [11]

Governor of the Bank of Canada

In 2013, Poloz was appointed as the Governor of the Bank of Canada on a seven-year term.

In January 2015, Poloz cut the Bank of Canada's key interest rate from 1 percent to 0.75 percent in response to a stark decline in oil prices. [12] In July of that year, he cut the Bank's interest rate again to 0.5 percent. [13] In July 2017, Poloz raised the Bank's key interest rate to 0.75 percent, the first interest rate increase in Canada in seven years. [14] This marked the start of a series of five rate hikes in total; by October 2018, the Bank's key interest rate was at 1.75 percent. [15] Throughout March 2020, Poloz reduced the Bank's interest rate from 1.75 percent to 0.25 percent in response to the economic downturn from the COVID-19 pandemic and a stark decline in oil prices. [16]

In December 2019, the Bank of Canada announced Poloz would not seek a second term. [12] His term as Governor expired in June 2020.

Post-governorship

After his term as governor, Poloz joined the board of directors of Enbridge. On August 1, 2020, Poloz joined the Toronto based law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt as a special advisor to the firm. [17] On July 1, 2022, Poloz joined the board of governors of Western University. [18]

Personal life

Poloz is married to Valerie Poloz and they have two children. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Canada</span>

The economy of Canada is a highly developed mixed economy, with the world's tenth-largest economy as of 2023, and a nominal GDP of approximately US$2.117 trillion. Canada is one of the world's largest trading nations, with a highly globalized economy. In 2021, Canadian trade in goods and services reached $2.016 trillion. Canada's exports totalled over $637 billion, while its imported goods were worth over $631 billion, of which approximately $391 billion originated from the United States. In 2018, Canada had a trade deficit in goods of $22 billion and a trade deficit in services of $25 billion. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the tenth-largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, listing over 1,500 companies with a combined market capitalization of over US$3 trillion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central bank</span> Government body that manages currency and monetary policy

A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the monetary base. Many central banks also have supervisory or regulatory powers to ensure the stability of commercial banks in their jurisdiction, to prevent bank runs, and in some cases also to enforce policies on financial consumer protection and against bank fraud, money laundering, or terrorism financing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Reserve</span> Central banking system of the United States of America

The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a series of financial panics led to the desire for central control of the monetary system in order to alleviate financial crises. Over the years, events such as the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Great Recession during the 2000s have led to the expansion of the roles and responsibilities of the Federal Reserve System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Mulroney</span> Prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993

Martin Brian Mulroney is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Greenspan</span> American economist and financial advisor

Alan Greenspan is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He worked as a private adviser and provided consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David A. Dodge</span> Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2001 to 2008

David Allison Dodge is a Canadian economist. He served as Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2001 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal funds rate</span> Interest rates to maintain banks Federal Reserve balance in the U.S.

In the United States, the federal funds rate is the interest rate at which depository institutions lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight on an uncollateralized basis. Reserve balances are amounts held at the Federal Reserve. Institutions with surplus balances in their accounts lend those balances to institutions in need of larger balances. The federal funds rate is an important benchmark in financial markets and central to the conduct of monetary policy in the United States as it influences a wide range of market interest rates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanley Fischer</span> Israeli American economist (born 1943)

Stanley Fischer is an Israeli-American economist who served as the 20th vice chair of the Federal Reserve from 2014 to 2017. Fischer previously served as the 8th governor of the Bank of Israel from 2005 to 2013. Born in Northern Rhodesia, he holds dual citizenship in Israel and the United States. He previously served as First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and as Chief Economist of the World Bank. On January 10, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated Fischer to the position of Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve. He is a senior advisor at BlackRock. On September 6, 2017, Stanley Fischer announced that he was resigning as Vice-Chair for personal reasons effective October 13, 2017, two days before his 74th birthday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Bernanke</span> American economist (born 1953)

Ben Shalom Bernanke is an American economist who served as the 14th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2014. After leaving the Federal Reserve, he was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution. During his tenure as chairman, Bernanke oversaw the Federal Reserve's response to the late-2000s financial crisis, for which he was named the 2009 Time Person of the Year. Before becoming Federal Reserve chairman, Bernanke was a tenured professor at Princeton University and chaired the Department of Economics there from 1996 to September 2002, when he went on public service leave. Bernanke was awarded the 2022 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, jointly with Douglas Diamond and Philip H. Dybvig, "for research on banks and financial crises", more specifically for his analysis of the Great Depression.

Bank rate, also known as discount rate in American English, is the rate of interest which a central bank charges on its loans and advances to a commercial bank. The bank rate is known by a number of different terms depending on the country, and has changed over time in some countries as the mechanisms used to manage the rate have changed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Wilson (Canadian politician)</span> Canadian politician (1937–2019)

Michael Holcombe Wilson was a Canadian businessman, politician and diplomat who served as minister of finance from 1984 to 1991 and minister of international trade from 1991 to 1993 under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bank of Canada</span> Central bank of Canada

The Bank of Canada is a Crown corporation and Canada's central bank. Chartered in 1934 under the Bank of Canada Act, it is responsible for formulating Canada's monetary policy, and for the promotion of a safe and sound financial system within Canada. The Bank of Canada is the sole issuing authority of Canadian banknotes, provides banking services and money management for the government, and loans money to Canadian financial institutions. The contract to produce the banknotes has been held by the Canadian Bank Note Company since 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Carney</span> Canadian economist and banker (born 1965)

Mark Joseph Carney is a Canadian economist and banker who served as the governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 to 2013 and the governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020. He currently serves as chairman, and head of Impact Investing at Brookfield Asset Management since 2020, and was named chairman of Bloomberg Inc., parent company of Bloomberg L.P., in 2023. He was the chair of the Financial Stability Board from 2011 to 2018. Prior to his governorships, Carney worked at Goldman Sachs as well as the Department of Finance Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Rotich</span> Kenyan civil servant

Henry K. Rotich is a Kenyan civil servant who was nominated by President Uhuru Kenyatta as Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury on 23 April 2013. On 14 January 2020, Rotich, who had been arrested on charges of corruption, was removed from this position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiff Macklem</span> Governor of the Bank of Canada since 2020

Richard Tiffany Macklem, known as Tiff Macklem, is a Canadian banker and economist who has served as governor of the Bank of Canada since 2020. He was also the former dean of the Rotman School of Management and had previously served as the senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada.

Marvin Seth Goodfriend was an American economist. He held the Allan H. Meltzer Professorship in economics at Carnegie Mellon University; he was previously the director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Following his 2017 nomination to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the White House decided to forgo renominating Goodfriend at the beginning of the new term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perry Warjiyo</span> Indonesian economist

Perry Warjiyo is the current Governor of Bank Indonesia, Indonesia's central Bank. His nomination for the post of Governor was approved by the Indonesian parliament on 28 March 2018. He was sworn into office on 24 May 2018, succeeding the previous Governor Agus Martowardojo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amir Yaron</span> Economist, Governor of the Bank of Israel

Amir Yaron is an Israeli-American economist and the current Governor of the Bank of Israel. Prior to serving as Governor, Yaron served as Professor of Banking and Finance at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

The Canadian property bubble refers to a significant rise in Canadian real estate prices from 2002 to present which some observers have called a real estate bubble. The Dallas Federal reserve rated Canadian real estate as "exuberant" beginning in 2003. From 2003 to 2018, Canada saw an increase in home and property prices of up to 337% in some cities. In 2016, the OECD warned that Canada's financial stability was at risk due to elevated housing prices, investment and household debt. By 2018, home-owning costs were above 1990 levels when Canada saw its last housing bubble burst. Bloomberg Economics ranked Canada as the second largest housing bubble across the OECD in 2019 and 2021. Toronto scored the highest in the world in Swiss bank UBS' real estate bubble index in 2022, with Vancouver also scoring among the 10 riskiest cities in the world. By 2023 Canada’s nonfinancial debt exceeded 300% of GDP and household debt surpassed 100% of GDP, both higher than the levels seen in the United States before the 2008 global financial crisis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn A. Wilkins</span> Canadian economist

Carolyn A. Wilkins is a Canadian economist. She served as Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada. from May 2, 2014 to December 9, 2020. Wilkins was the first woman to hold the position of Senior Deputy Governor, the highest position ever held by a woman at the Bank of Canada.

References

  1. Stephen Poloz appointed Governor of Bank of Canada, Bank of Canada press releases, May 2, 2013.
  2. "Board of Directors". Bis.org. December 1, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  3. Dark clouds to greet Stephen Poloz's first day at his dream job (personal details about Stephen Poloz), Globe and Mail, May 4, 2013.
  4. "Evening with Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz". December 12, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Poloz biography, Parliament of Canada website; accessed June 9, 2017.
  6. Canada's new central-bank governor: After Carney, Economist.com, May 11, 2013.
  7. Stephen Poloz profile, bloomberg.com. Accessed November 5, 2022.
  8. Bujalska, Monika (December 1, 2010). "Appointment of New President and Chief Executive Officer of Export Development Canada". canada.ca (Press release). Government of Canada.
  9. Poloz profile, bilderbergmeetings.org; accessed June 9, 2017.
  10. "QBC Ottawa featuring Stephen Poloz". smith.queensu.ca. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
  11. "Stephen S. Poloz". www.bankofcanada.ca. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Wong, Craig (December 6, 2019). "Bank of Canada says Poloz will not seek a second term as governor". Canadian Business. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  13. Whittington, Les (July 15, 2015). "Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate, dollar plunges to lowest since 2009". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  14. "Bank of Canada raises interest rate for 1st time in 7 years to 0.75%". CBC News.
  15. Evans, Peter (October 24, 2018). "Bank of Canada raises interest rate to 1.75%". CBC News. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  16. "Bank of Canada slashes key interest rate to 0.25%". Global News. March 27, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  17. "Stephen Poloz joins Osler as Special Advisor", Osler news release, June 17, 2020.
  18. "Board of Governors". uwo.ca. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  19. McMahon, Tamsin (May 2, 2013). "10 things you should know about the new Bank of Canada governor". Maclean's.