Category Archives: Blog

On May 31, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. is imposing a 25% tariff on steel and 10% tariff on aluminum from three of its biggest allies, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. Trump, who campaigned on his America First platform, has long blamed the rest of the world for his country’s alleged problems. […]

Canada Set to Legalize Recreational Use of Marijuana The recreational use of marijuana in Canada is expected to be legalized in the coming months. To meet the expected demand for marijuana, some of the industry’s biggest cannabis growing companies are hoping to grab an even bigger piece of this burgeoning, lucrative market. Legalizing the recreational […]

Hundreds Killed as U.S. Opens Jerusalem Embassy Tensions in the Middle East are at a tipping point. Less than a week after Trump announced the U.S. was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal (infuriating both Iran and the five other signatories—U.K., Russia, France, China, and Germany), the Middle East was rocked by violence and death […]

Investors Are Increasingly Pessimistic about the Stock Market Despite Wall Street reporting solid first quarter earnings, investors have become increasingly pessimistic about the future of the stock market. After a tumultuous start to the year, investor sentiment has gone from euphoric to negative. Stocks have struggled to break out of a tight trading range since […]

Tensions in Middle East Will Soar if U.S. Exits Iran Deal President Donald Trump has given the signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran until May 12 to fix “the worst deal ever” or he will reinstate crippling sanctions on Iran. Meanwhile, Iran has said that if the U.S. does not ratify the nuclear […]

Oil Prices Rally to $70 per Barrel Oil prices are rallying toward $70 per barrel. Both the Canadian and U.S. economies are performing well, but sustained increases above these levels could pose troubles for the two economies. The last time oil prices were at $70 per barrel was in November 2014; back then though, oil […]

Federal Reserve Eyes Further Rate Hikes in 2018 The Federal Reserve raised its key lending rate on Wednesday, March 21; the first meeting under new Chairman Jerome Powell. The rate hike is a sign of confidence that the U.S. economy is getting strong with low unemployment and rising wages. The big question is how many […]

Markets Slump on Falling Tech Stocks and Fears of Trade War After a strong 2017, in which the S&P 500 advanced more than 20%, it appeared as though that momentum would carry into 2018. By late January, the index was up a further 7.5% and in record territory. It’s been a stomach-churning roller coaster since […]

After raising interest rates three times in 2017, the Bank of Canada held its key lending rate at 1.25% in March, with Stephen Poloz, the head of the bank, saying policy makers will “continue to monitor the economy’s sensitivity to higher interest rates.”1 But with the U.S. Federal Reserve storming ahead with its own rate […]

Managing the Risks of Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Investing Anyone who has paid attention to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin over the last couple of years understands just how volatile the market can be. In March 2017, one Bitcoin was worth around $1,000; by December it was trading hands at more than $19,000. It’s been a different story […]