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Weekly Market Snapshot: TSX Hits Record High, Then Retreats as Fed Shocks Markets

  Week of June 16–20, 2026  |  Published June 20, 2026 It was a week of records and reversals for Canadian investors. The TSX touched an all-time high midweek before a hawkish surprise from the U.S. Federal Reserve and falling oil prices — triggered by the U.S.–Iran interim peace deal — pulled markets lower into Thursday's close. Here's everything that moved the needle for your portfolio and wallet this week. 📊 Weekly Market Scorecard Index / Asset Level (June 19 Close) Week Change S&P/TSX Composite 34,857 ▼ Mixed (high: 35,629 Wed.) S&P 500 (USD) 7,500.58 ▲ +1.08% (Wed.) Dow Jones (USD) 51,564.70 ▲ +0.14% (Wed.) Nasdaq (USD) 26,517.93 ▲ +1.91% (Wed.) WTI Crude Oil (USD/barrel) ~$76.54 ▼ Sharp weekly decline Gold (USD/oz) ~$4,157 ▼ Fell on hawkish Fed CAD/USD (Loonie) ~$0.7068 ▼ Under pressure Note: U.S. markets were closed Friday, June 20, for the Juneteenth National Independence Day holiday. TSX figures reflect Thursday's close. 🇨🇦 TSX: A Record High That Did...

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Hunter Biden's Legal Troubles and Presidential Pardon

 

Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, faced legal issues related to firearms and tax convictions. In June 2024, he was convicted of lying on a federal form when purchasing a gun in 2018, falsely stating that he was not a drug user. Additionally, he pleaded guilty to failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes for the years 2016 to 2019. These charges stemmed from a period in his life when he struggled with drug and alcohol abuse before becoming sober in 2019.

Despite previously pledging not to use his presidential authority to grant clemency to his son, President Joe Biden issued a full and unconditional pardon for Hunter Biden on December 1, 2024. This pardon not only covered the gun and tax offenses but also any other federal offenses Hunter Biden may have committed from January 1, 2014, through December 1, 2024. President Biden justified his decision by stating that raw politics had infected the legal process, leading to a miscarriage of justice.

A presidential pardon is an expression of forgiveness granted by the President of the United States for federal criminal offenses. The power to pardon is derived from Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which allows the president to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment. A pardon forgives federal criminal offenses and exempts the individual from punishment, but it does not signify innocence.



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