The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, Oct. 21, edition that Canadian businesses anticipate weak sales and minimal hiring as consumers express concerns about the job market, according to two recent Bank of Canada surveys. The Globe's Mark Rendell writes that the BOC's Business Outlook Survey noted a slight improvement in sentiment from earlier this year, though uncertainty over U.S. tariffs still affects sales, hiring and investment expectations. The BOC said, "Businesses no longer expect sales growth to strengthen over the coming year as tariff-related impacts continue to hold back demand." Many companies informed the BOC that they will not be hiring new employees in the coming year and are scaling back investment plans to focus on routine maintenance. The downbeat tone of the surveys, conducted in August and September, reinforced market expectations that the Bank of Canada will lower interest rates again next week to support the ailing economy. Governor Tiff Macklem is not tipping his hand on the upcoming rate decision but says he expects growth to remain sluggish through the back half of the year. Two-thirds of consumers and a third of businesses expect an outright recession, according to the surveys.