MNI: Canada March Flash Factory Sales Tumble Amid US Trade War

Canadian factory sales dropped 1.9% in March according to a flash estimate published Friday, more evidence of damage from the trade war with the U.S. that officials have said could push the country into a recession.

"The largest decreases were in the petroleum and coal product, primary metal, and transportation equipment subsectors," Statistics Canada's report said. That weakness lines up with Donald Trump's tariffs on energy, steel, aluminum and automobiles. 

The flash figure is based on a response rate of 68%, below the 94% average for the regular figure over the last year, meaning there could be larger-than-usual revisions in the future.