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Monday’s CPI Could Decide Your Next Mortgage Payment

  Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September. Inflation is sitting at 3%. The Bank of Canada has to decide on October 28 which of those facts matters more, and on Monday morning one more number lands to help it choose. If you carry a variable-rate mortgage, a HELOC or a renewal this winter, that number has a price tag. Two reports pulling in opposite directions The jobs data came first. Statistics Canada reported on October 9 that employment fell by 68,000 in September, pushing the unemployment rate to 6.5% from 6.4%. It followed a drop of about 42,000 in August, which means more than half of the 181,000 jobs gained between April and July have now been wiped out. Ontario shed 20,000 positions on its own. Markets reacted within hours: the odds of a quarter-point Bank of Canada hike on October 28 dropped to roughly 25% from about 40%, according to LSEG data reported by Reuters. Inflation is telling the opposite story. The consumer price index rose 3.0% year over year in August, matching Ju...

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How Enbridge, Open Text and other stocks moved on Wednesday


The stock market saw some notable movements on Wednesday, as several companies reported their earnings or made strategic announcements. Here are some of the highlights:

  • Enbridge (ENB-T) rose 1.2 per cent after it forecast higher core earnings and raised its dividend for 2024. The pipeline operator expects higher demand and volumes across its network, as well as lower costs and capital spending. The company also said it had secured funding for over 75 per cent of its US$9.4-billion bid to buy three utilities from Dominion Energy.
  • Open Text (OTEX-T) increased 1 per cent after it sold off a mainframe-computer business it acquired earlier this year from Micro Focus for US$2.275-billion. The company said it would use the proceeds to improve its financial position and focus on its cloud and artificial intelligence businesses. Analysts said the divestiture would enhance Open Text’s valuation and profitability.
  • Alimentation Couche-Tard (ATD-T) slid 3.2 per cent despite reporting stronger-than-expected second-quarter results The convenience store and gas station operator saw solid fuel margins and cost control, but also faced softening in U.S. same-store sales due to lower cigarette sales and consumer spending. The company tightened its full-year profit outlook.
  • First Quantum Minerals (FM-T) sustained further declines after Panama’s president said its copper mine Cobre Panama would be shut down, following a Supreme Court ruling that declared its contract unconstitutional The company said it had suspended commercial production at the mine and was putting it into care and maintenance. The ruling puts the company on the long and unpredictable road of international arbitration.

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