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Macklem Just Raised the Inflation Alarm: What Monday’s CPI Means for Your Wallet

  Canadian Money Brief  |  Sunday, October 18, 2026  |  Written ahead of Monday’s 8:30 am ET inflation release Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has just told Canadians what the central bank is about to say on October 28: its inflation forecast is going up, and by a lot. The reason is oil. With the Middle East conflict dragging on, shipments still curtailed and refinery capacity damaged, he said the risk that inflation broadens and lingers has gone up. Speaking to reporters from Bangkok on Saturday, he framed the coming decision as a simple question: will inflation drift back toward 2% on its own, or does the Bank need to raise rates to nudge it there? Monday is the first real clue. Here is what is landing, what economists expect, and what it could mean for your gas bill, your grocery cart, your heating costs and your mortgage. 3.0% August CPI, year over year 3.2% September consensus (Reuters poll) 2.25% BoC policy rate, unchanged for nearly a year Oct 28 Rat...

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Canadian Stocks Edge Higher, U.S. Markets Slip on Last Trading Day of 2023

 

Canadian stocks closed slightly higher on Friday, the last trading day of 2023, as gains in the industrials and utilities sectors offset losses in the energy and materials sectors. The S&P/TSX composite index rose 29.06 points, or 0.14%, to end at 20,958.44, capping off a year of strong performance amid the recovery from the pandemic.

Meanwhile, U.S. markets dipped as investors took profits and weighed the impact of the Omicron variant on the economic outlook. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 20.56 points, or 0.05%, to 37,689.54, while the S&P 500 index dropped 13.52 points, or 0.28%, to 4,769.83. The Nasdaq composite index, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, declined 83.78 points, or 0.56%, to 15,011.35.

The Canadian dollar traded lower against its U.S. counterpart, as the greenback strengthened on the back of higher Treasury yields. The loonie was down 0.08 cents at 75.61 cents US.

In commodities, oil prices edged lower as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies agreed to stick to their plan of gradually increasing output in January, despite concerns over the demand outlook. The February crude oil contract was down 12 cents at US$71.65 per barrel. Natural gas prices also slipped, with the February natural gas contract down four cents at US$2.51 per mmBTU.

Gold prices fell as the appetite for safe-haven assets waned, while copper prices also dropped amid a stronger U.S. dollar. The February gold contract was down US$11.70 at US$2,071.80 an ounce and the March copper contract was down three cents at US$3.89 a pound.

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