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Canada's Inflation Jumps to 2.4% in March — And Your Grocery and Gas Bills Show It

Canada's annual inflation rate climbed to 2.4% in March 2026 , up sharply from 1.8% in February, according to Statistics Canada data released Monday. The jump was driven almost entirely by soaring energy prices tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict and its disruption of oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz — and Canadians felt it directly at the gas pump and grocery store. Headline CPI (March) 2.4% ▲ Up from 1.8% in February Gasoline (monthly) +21.2% Largest monthly jump on record Grocery prices (year/year) +4.4% Up from 4.1% in February Core CPI (ex-gas) 2.2% Milder than expected Gas was the main culprit Gasoline prices surged a record 21.2% month over month in March — the largest single-month jump ever recorded in Canada — as the U.S.-Iran conflict choked off roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz. On a year-...

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European Stocks Surge and Bond Yields Ease as Markets Scale Back Bets on Rate Cuts

 

European stocks surged to a fresh two-year high, and bond yields eased as markets scaled back ambitious bets at the end of 2023 on rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and other major central banks. The S&P 500 also edged higher, with the index poised to set a new record closing high, at the start of a week packed with big corporate earnings, European inflation data, Federal Reserve and Bank of England meetings and U.S. employment data.

The market is trying to understand the outlook for the U.S. economy as it is unlikely to require the deep interest rate cuts by the Fed it has priced in. Absent geopolitical shocks, the U.S. economy will grow better than expected with just a few areas underperforming.

The surge in European stocks and the easing of bond yields can be attributed to the markets scaling back their bets on rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and other major central banks.



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