The Financial Post reports in its Wednesday edition that the Bank of Canada holds the cards for a better year ahead after Canadians' personal finances were hit hard in 2023, according to the latest version of a multiyear survey of household finances and the state of the economy. The Post's Gigi Suhanic writes that people are now in a much worse situation compared with the end of last year across a variety of metrics, from being able to make ends meet on a monthly basis to feeding their family, the latest version of the Maru Household Outlook Index said. "This survey is pocketbook oriented," said John Wright at Maru Public Opinion. "You can't escape the fact that the majority are feeling really bad about the economy." He said all eyes in 2024 will be on the Bank of Canada. "The only institution that holds any sway is the Bank of Canada and people will be watching that very closely," he said, adding that a signal for even a 25-basis-point cut to the current lending rate of five per cent will lift consumer sentiment. Until then, the list of financial trouble spots is long. Top line, 28 per cent said they are worse off than they were at the same time last year, an increase of four percentage points from a year ago.