Skip to main content

Featured

Why Interest Rates Matter for Canadians

Interest rates are the single most powerful lever in Canada's economy.  When the Bank of Canada adjusts its policy rate, the effects reach every household—from the cost of carrying a mortgage to the return on a savings account. With rates currently at 2.25% and significant uncertainty ahead, understanding how rates work has never been more important for your finances. What Is the Bank of Canada's Policy Rate? The Bank of Canada sets the overnight policy rate—the interest rate at which major banks lend money to each other. This rate serves as a benchmark that influences borrowing and lending costs across the entire economy. When the Bank raises or lowers this rate, commercial banks adjust their prime rates accordingly, which directly affects the rates you pay on mortgages, lines of credit, and other loans. The Bank's primary goal is to keep inflation near its 2% target. When inflation runs too hot, the Bank raises rates to cool spending. When the economy slows, it cuts rates...
Post a Comment
Read more

article

Labels

Stock Market Today: World shares mixed after Wall Street’s 3rd straight winning week

 

According to a news article from MSN, world shares were mixed on Monday after Wall Street closed its third straight winning week with a tiny gain. 

Germany’s DAX fell 0.1% to 15,907.92, while France’s CAC 40 gained 0.3% to 7,256.93. Britain’s FTSE 100 was down 0.3% at 7,481.86. The future for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were virtually unchanged. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index broke its September peak, hitting a 33-year high, and then fell to 33,388.03, shedding 0.6%. 

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.6% to 17,732.36, and the Shanghai Composite index advanced 0.5% to 3,068.32. China announced on Monday that it would keep its benchmark lending rates unchanged as expected due to a weaker yuan and the need to assess the impact of recent stimulus measures on the economy.

 In South Korea, the Kospi was 0.9% higher, at 2,491.20. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% higher to 7,058.40. Taiwan’s Taiex was little changed. The SET in Bangkok dropped 0.1% as the state planning agency announced Monday that Thailand’s economy grew slower than expected in the last quarter due to weakness in exports and agriculture, despite strong consumer spending and a recovery in tourism.

Markets hope inflation has cooled enough for the federal Reserve to finally stop its market-crunching hikes to interest rates


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment