Canada's economy picked up again in the late spring. Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew by 0.3 per cent in May, marking a second straight month of expansion for the national economy.
The reading came in stronger than official forecasters had penciled in. The latest real GDP number topped the agency's own advance estimate, a modest but welcome upside surprise.
Markets had also braced for something softer. The figure beat expectations on Bay Street, where analysts had been anticipating a more muted result for the month.
The growth was not confined to one corner of the economy. Output rose across 13 of the 20 industrial sectors that Statistics Canada tracks, pointing to a fairly broad based advance.
One group of industries stood out at the top. Mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction took the lead, recording a second consecutive month of growth in those sectors.
The construction industry also added meaningfully to the total. Construction was up almost a full percentage point, and within that, residential building such as apartment construction played a big part of the increase, a notable signal for the housing market.
Activity tied to property rounded out the gains. Real estate and rental and leasing rose for a second consecutive month, with brokers and real estate agents described as rather busy, and that activity was seen mostly in Ontario as well as British Columbia.