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The U.S. Federal Reserve announced March 22 that it was raising its key lending rate by a quarter point, continuing its aggressive rate hike policy in an effort to tame stubbornly high inflation. The Fed did this in spite of the turmoil roiling Wall Street following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and failure of […]

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and shutdown of Signature Bank of New York have sparked global fears of a widespread financial meltdown. Both banks catered to the tech industry. Silicon Valley was important to venture capital firms while Signature was a key financial institution to the cryptocurrency industry. While Silicon Valley Bank is relatively […]

The U.S. Federal Reserve was late to the inflation taming party and has had to raise its key lending rate at a torrid pace since the start of 2022 to curb decades-high inflation. Most people forget, but in the first quarter of 2022, the Federal Reserve held the federal funds rate at around zero. Throughout […]

Oil prices are down from their 2022 highs but are expected to remain near record levels, which will continue to be a boon for Canada’s energy sector. Despite economic headwinds, analysts at Deloitte Canada expect the price for Edmonton City Gate, a benchmark crude oil in Canada, to hover at around $101.35 per barrel. That’s […]

The disconnect between the recent stock market rally and economic climate helps explain the ongoing volatility. In 2022, the S&P 500 closed out the year down almost 20% while the TSX posted a negative return of 8.5%. That downward trend was reversed in the opening weeks of 2023 with the S&P 500 advancing 6.2% in […]

The definition of a recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth. Unfortunately, we are only told we’re in a recession after the fact. Technically, the Canadian economy could be in the early stages of a recession. This may sound contrary to what we’re hearing about the Canadian economy. In January, the Canadian economy added […]

The S&P 500 finished 2022 down roughly 20%, flirting with a bear market. It was one of the worst trading years for the index since 2008, and a big difference from 2021 where the S&P 500 rallied nearly 27%. It’s been a different story, so far, in 2023, with the S&P 500 gaining 6.2% in […]

In a move that was widely expected, the U.S. Federal Reserve raised its key lending rate by 25 basis points to a range of 4.50% to 4.75%. This marks the eighth time the Fed has raised interest rates over the past year and a massive jump from near zero in March 2022. On the plus […]

The Bank of Canada raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 4.5%, the highest level since 2007. This represents the eighth consecutive rate hike. In 2022, the Bank of Canada raised its key lending rate from 0.25% in March to 4.25% by December. Canada’s central bank has been raising its overnight lending […]