Skip to main content

Featured

5 Things to Know Today (Oct. 1): Minimum Wage Hike, Cooler U.S. Inflation, Oil Below $100

  Thursday October 1, 2026 A new quarter, a higher minimum wage in Ontario and a softer inflation read south of the border. Here are the five things that matter to your wallet today. 1 Ontario's minimum wage rises to $17.95 today Ontario's general minimum wage climbs 35 cents, from $17.60 to $17.95 an hour, as of October 1 — a roughly 2% bump tied to Ontario's CPI. The student rate goes to $16.90 (from $16.60) and the homeworker rate to $19.70. A full-time worker at 40 hours a week earns about $718 a week before deductions. Federally regulated workers already have an $18.15 floor, which has applied since April 1. What it means for you: If you pay anyone by the hour — a cleaner, a part-time helper, a seasonal worker — hours worked from today forward must be paid at no less than $17.95, even if the pay period started in September. Workers should check their next paycheque. 2 Cooler U.S. inflation eases the pressure on rate hikes The Fed's preferred inflation gauge came i...

article

US stocks hope for economic stability after record highs

 


The US stock market has been on a roll this year, with the S&P 500 index up by 17% and hovering around 6% below its record high from January 2022. The market’s performance in the coming weeks will depend on how confident investors are that the US economy will experience a soft landing..

A soft landing is a scenario where the economy slows down moderately without going into a recession . Morgan Stanley Research believes that the US economy can achieve a soft landing, given the current housing cycle, income and spending trends, a stable labor market, and receding inflation. However, banking-sector turmoil and a resulting credit squeeze still pose some recession risk.

The recent stock market rally has Wall Street re-examining the potential for the US economy to pull off a soft landing scenario. Goldman Sachs expects the economy to react positively to the Fed’s monetary policy in 2024.

It’s worth noting that the stock market is not always a reliable indicator of the economy’s health. Therefore, investors should be cautious and not celebrate too soon.



Comments