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Gold Crashed 30% This Year — Now It's Climbing Again. Should Your TFSA or RRSP Be In It?

  August 12, 2026 If you've only glanced at the gold headlines this week, you've probably seen some version of "gold near two-month high." That's true — spot gold touched an intraday peak of US$4,434.84 an ounce on Tuesday, its best level since June 5, before settling back to around US$4,382. But "two-month high" undersells what's actually happened to gold in 2026, and that fuller story is the part that matters if you're deciding whether to put any of it in a TFSA, RRSP, or FHSA right now. Here's the short version: gold went nearly vertical in January, hit an all-time record, crashed by close to 30% within weeks, spent the spring and early summer languishing near US$4,000, and has spent the last six weeks clawing about 10% of that back. Where it goes from here is genuinely split among the banks that cover it professionally. That's the setup worth understanding before you buy. The wildest year gold has ever had Gold entered 2026 already o...

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Canada’s economy shrinks in Q3 amid export and consumer woes

 


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Canada’s economy shrinks in Q3 amid export and spending woes

Canada’s economy contracted by 1.1 per cent on an annualized basis in the third quarter of 2023, according to Statistics Canada. This was a much weaker result than expected by analysts and the Bank of Canada, which had forecast a slight growth of 0.1 per cent and 0.8 per cent, respectively.

The main factors behind the economic decline were a drop in exports, a slump in business investment, and a stagnation in consumer spending. Exports fell by 5.1 per cent, reflecting lower shipments of energy products, motor vehicles, and aircraft. Business investment decreased by 10.1 per cent, as firms reduced their spending on machinery and equipment, intellectual property, and non-residential structures. Consumer spending was flat, as households saved more of their income amid rising interest rates.

The only bright spots in the third quarter were government spending, which increased by 7.3 per cent, boosted by a one-time GST/HST credit payment, and residential housing investment, which rose by 8.3 per cent, driven by a surge in new construction.

The Canadian economy also performed poorly compared with the U.S. economy, which grew by 5.2 per cent in the same period. Canada has been more sensitive to the impact of higher interest rates, which have been raised by the Bank of Canada to 5 per cent from 0.25 per cent since early 2022. The central bank has recently signalled that it may pause or reverse its tightening cycle, as inflation has eased and economic growth has faltered.

Some economists believe that the third quarter contraction was a temporary setback and that the economy will rebound in the fourth quarter and beyond. Statistics Canada estimated that GDP grew by 0.2 per cent in October, indicating a modest recovery. However, others warn that the economy may face more headwinds in the new year, such as the ongoing supply chain disruptions, the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, and the uncertainty over the federal fiscal policy.

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