Quebec leads the country while Ontario quietly claws its way back
The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index fell to 51.43 this week from 52.65 a week earlier, according to Nanos Research, leaving the measure of household sentiment below its 2026 high of 54.19 and well under the peak it reached in 2021.
The index, commissioned by Bloomberg, tracks how Canadians view the strength of the economy, their job security, real estate values in their neighbourhood and their personal finances.
A reading of 50 marks the point where positive and negative views cancel out, so the latest figure signals only modestly net-positive sentiment.
Canadian consumer confidence eased this week, with the Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index falling to 51.43 from 52.65 a week earlier, said Nik Nanos, chief data scientist at Nanos Research.
The index remains below its 2026 high of 54.19 and "well below" the 2021 peak, he said.
The weekly decline masks a longer-run improvement.
Measured against four weeks ago, the composite is up from 50.42, and both underlying sub-indices have gained over the same stretch.
The Bloomberg Nanos Pocketbook Index, which captures views on personal finances and job security, sat at 52.77 this week versus 51.48 four weeks earlier, though it slipped from 54.20 last week.
The Expectations Index, covering the outlook for the economy and real estate prices, registered 50.09 against 49.36 four weeks ago.
For context, Nanos said the composite has averaged 50.75 so far in 2026, below its 54.72 average since tracking began in 2008.
The 2026 low of 46.31 came on April 10, while the record low of 37.08 dates to April 2020 and the record high of 66.42 to July 2021.
The regional and demographic breakdowns showed uneven readings across the country.
Quebec posted the strongest economic mood at 54.66 while Ontario climbed to 50.13 from 46.48 four weeks earlier.
British Columbia and the Prairies both hovered near the neutral 50 mark, at 50.43 and 49.97 respectively.
The sharpest weekly swing appeared among younger respondents.
Confidence among Canadians aged 18 to 29 dropped to 46.71 from 54.69 a week earlier, the survey found, the widest gap of any age cohort.
Sentiment among those 40 to 49 moved the other way, rising to 54.12.
Nanos conducted the study as a random-digit-dialled telephone survey of 1,022 Canadians aged 18 and over, using land and cell lines.
The report draws on four waves of tracking ending July 17, 2026, on a four-week rolling average in which the oldest group of 250 interviews is dropped and a new group added each week.
The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
