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Canada's Inflation Just Hit a 3-Year High—Here's What That Actually Means for Your Money

May's Consumer Price Index report reveals inflation is accelerating again, driven by global oil shocks and rising food costs. We break down the impact on mortgages, savings, and your household budget. Last week, Canada's inflation story took a sharp turn. The May Consumer Price Index report showed inflation climbing to its highest level in three years—a wake-up call for households already struggling with rising costs and a signal that the Bank of Canada's long hold on interest rates may not ease anytime soon. If you've been hoping for relief at the grocery store or relief on your mortgage renewal, this news probably stings. But understanding what's driving inflation—and what it means for your financial decisions—is critical right now. What Pushed Inflation Up This Time? The spike wasn't random. Inflation jumped primarily due to energy and food prices—two categories that hit everyday Canadian wallets hard. Energy prices surged because of geopolitical tensions in ...

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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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