Housing prices higher: BMO - 2004-02-19
Average house prices in Canada climbed 11.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2003, but carrying costs remained in check thanks to low mortgage rates, Bank of Montreal economists said Thursday.

In the fourth quarter, the national average home price rose to $214,856 from $193,366 in the same period a year earlier.
Read the full story at Globe and Mail

Shoppers may force interest rate hike - 2004-02-19
The pound was on the up again today after news of a post- Christmas shopping stampede created speculation that interest rates might have to climb further and faster than previously thought.

That view was reinforced by figures from the British Bankers' Association showing the big High Street banks dished out £5.9bn worth of new mortgage loans in January, the biggest one-month increase since November 2001.
Read the full story at This Is Money