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Vancouver Budget Balances Books Without Tax Hike

Vancouver city council approved a 2026 budget, which includes a freeze on municipal property taxes. Vancouver City Council has approved a new budget that pledges no increase in property taxes, a move welcomed by many residents facing rising living costs. However, the financial plan comes with significant trade-offs: millions of dollars will be cut from arts programs, park services, and other community initiatives. City officials argue the budget reflects a commitment to fiscal responsibility while easing pressure on households. Critics, however, warn that reductions in cultural and recreational funding could erode the city’s vibrancy and limit access to public spaces. The decision highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing affordability with investment in community life. As Vancouver grows, the debate over how to fund essential services without raising taxes is likely to intensify.
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Fed Rate Cut Looms as Job Market Cools Down


The U.S. stock market ended lower on Wednesday, as investors weighed the implications of a slowing job market for the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. The S&P 500 index fell 0.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.4% and 0.2%, respectively.

The decline came after the release of fresh employment data that showed job openings in October fell to the lowest level since early 2021, indicating that the labor market was easing amid the pandemic. The number of hires also decreased, while the quits rate, a measure of workers’ confidence, remained unchanged at a record high.

The data reinforced the expectations that the Fed could start cutting interest rates as soon as March 2023, as inflation pressures ease and economic growth moderates. The Fed has signaled that it will end its bond-buying program by March and begin raising rates sometime next year, depending on the economic conditions.

Some analysts said that the lower stock prices reflected the uncertainty about the timing and pace of the Fed’s policy tightening, as well as the impact of the new coronavirus variant Omicron on the global economy. Others said that the market was due for a correction after reaching record highs in November.

Among the sectors, energy shares were the worst performers, as oil prices fell on the prospects of lower demand and higher supply. Megacaps such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google also dragged the market lower, as investors rotated out of the high-growth stocks into more defensive sectors.

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