(Reporter Yu Ruidong) The Central Bank of Canada announced on the 25th that it will raise the benchmark interest rate, namely the overnight lending rate, by 25 basis points, from 4.25% to 4.5%. The Bank of Canada forecasts that the Canadian economy grew by 3.6% last year, slightly higher than previously expected, but growth will stagnate in the middle of this year and is expected to pick up in the second half of the year.