TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 1, 2012) - As several countries, including Canada, celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee marking 60 years of the Queen's reign, BMO Financial Group takes a look at how key financial and economic indicators have changed over the past six decades, from the early 1950s to today.
"There has been a tremendous amount of change since 1952, including a rapid transformation of the global markets," said Paul Taylor, Chief Investment Officer, BMO Harris Private Banking and BMO Global Asset Management. "More recently, while many countries have faced significant challenges, Canada has emerged as an economic leader and is in a strong fiscal position relative to our global peers."
Then and now. A comparative look back:
| Item | Early 1950s | Present Day |
Percentage Difference |
|||
| Inflation | $1 CAD in 1952 is worth $8.62 CAD in 2012 | n/a | ||||
| Canadian GDP per capita | $7047 | $38,065 | 440 | % | ||
| Canadian loonie vs. US greenback | 1 CAD = 1.02 USD | 1 CAD = 0.95 USD | - 6.8 | % | ||
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 269.86 (January 2, 1952 |
) | 12,397.38 (January 3, 2012 |
) | 4494 |
% |
| Tax rate (federal) | 35.1 | % | 37.6 | % | 2.5 | % |
| Cost of a barrel of oil | $2.77 | $90.86 | 3180 | % | ||
| Cost of an ounce of gold | $34.60 | $1,590 | 4475 | % | ||
| Average cost of a home: Toronto | $14,424 | $464,000 | 3117 | % | ||
| Average cost of a home: Vancouver | $11,100 | $752,000 | 6675 | % | ||
| Average cost of a home: Montreal | $14,500 | $311,000 | 2045 | % | ||
| Average university tuition (annual) | $450 | $5,366 | 1092 | % | ||
| Average cost of a car | $1,510 | $30,748 | 1936 | % | ||
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