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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...

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Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Involved in US-Iran Dispute in Gulf of Oman

 



Iranian navy has seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was at the center of a major US-Iran crisis. The vessel was once known as the Suez Rajan and had been involved in a yearlong dispute that ultimately saw the U.S. Justice Department seize 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil on it. 

The tanker was carrying Iraqi crude oil intended for Turkey. The seizure comes as a response to the previous year’s seizure of the same vessel by the United States. The ship was reportedly confiscated by Iran as the result of a court order. The incident occurred early in the morning in the waters between Oman and Iran in an area transited by ships coming in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. The vessel was boarded by armed men and the ship’s security officer heard unknown voices on the phone . The tanker had been off the city of Basra, Iraq, loading crude oil bound for Aliaga, Turkey, for the Turkish refinery firm Tupras. The ship was identified as the oil tanker St. Nikolas.


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