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Carney and Ford’s Steel and Auto Support Package: What It Could Mean for Your Job and Walle

Canadian Money Brief  |  October 21, 2026 Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford are set to unveil a joint support package for Canada’s steel, auto and critical-minerals sectors in Ottawa at 2 p.m. ET today . According to QP Briefing , the finance and industry ministers from both governments will join them, and the package is meant to help businesses and workers deal with ongoing trade disruptions. The dollar figures and eligibility rules weren’t public at the time of writing. So here’s what we know, what help already exists, and what to look for when the details land. WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR Who: Carney and Ford, plus both governments’ finance and industry ministers When and where: 2 p.m. ET today, Ottawa Sectors: steel, auto and critical minerals Stated aim: support for businesses and workers affected by trade disruptions Not yet public: total dollars, the federal–Ontario cost split, who qualifies and how to apply Help That’s Already on the Table Today’s p...

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S&P 500 Inches Closer to Record High Amid Optimism About Fed’s Policy and Year-End Effect

 

The S&P 500 index closed just shy of a new record high on Thursday, with the broad index gaining 0.04%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.03%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%. Markets are ending 2023 on a hot streak, with all three indexes on pace for a ninth consecutive weekly gain. For the S&P 500, that would mark the longest streak since January 2004. The index is now within 0.3% of its all-time high, set in January 2022. With one trading session remaining in 2023, the S&P 500 is up 25%.

Investors are optimistic that the Federal Reserve can successfully cool inflation without inducing a major economic slowdown, which has powered the market’s recent advance. Now, some investors say the looming end of the calendar year is giving markets an extra boost. “Nobody who has caught this rally wants to incur a taxable event,” said Michael Green, chief strategist at Simplify Asset Management. “If nobody wants to sell, prices will push higher on low volume”.

The jobless claims data released by the Labor Department on Thursday indicated a gradual cooling of the economy. Initial jobless claims, considered a proxy for layoffs, were 218,000 in the week ending Dec. 23, slightly more than the 215,000 that economists expected.

Bond yields rose as prices fell, reflecting expectations of higher inflation and interest rates. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 3.849%, up from 3.7%.

Some investors are increasing their exposure to energy and industrial stocks, which could benefit from a strong economic recovery. Matt Dmytryszyn, chief investment officer at Telemus Capital, said his fund is boosting its position in shares of energy and industrial firms.


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