To hike or not: It's a toss up ahead of Bank of Canada rate decision

Odds are split on whether or not the Bank of Canada will hike rates for the first time since 2018 on Wednesday, with Omicron's wrath seen potentially delaying the start of an aggressive tightening campaign geared at taming red-hot inflation.

Canada's central bank will make its first major policy decision of 2022 at a time when consumer prices are rising at their fastest clip in 30 years and a harsh Omicron-fueled wave of coronavirus infections is just beginning to ebb.
 

Money markets see a roughly 65% chance the Bank will boost the overnight rate to 0.5% from the current record