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Trump's Tariff Shake-Up: Global Trade Faces New Challenges

On April 2, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping 10% tariffs on imports from all trading partners, marking a significant escalation in global trade tensions. These tariffs, described as "baseline," aim to address what Trump perceives as unfair trade practices and chronic trade deficits. While the announcement has sent ripples across international markets, the specific impact on Canada remains uncertain. Canada, a close trading partner of the U.S., has previously faced tariffs on steel, aluminum, and energy imports under Trump's administration. The new measures could further strain bilateral relations and affect key Canadian industries. Prime Minister Mark Carney is reportedly preparing Canada's response, as the trade war becomes a central issue in the upcoming federal election. Trump's move has sparked debates among economists and policymakers, with critics warning of potential economic fallout and supporters praising the tariffs as a step toward ...

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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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