Breaking: Bank of Canada hikes policy rate by 50 bps vs 75 bps expected

The Bank of Canada (BoC) hiked its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (bps) to 3.75% at the end of the October policy meeting this Wednesday. The decision to slow the pace of policy tightening comes amid growing worries about a deeper global economic downturn and disappointed market participants anticipating a 75 bps rate hike.