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Canadians Are Feeling Less Squeezed — But Fraud Is Rewriting How We Manage Credit

  New data from TransUnion's Q2 2026 Canada Consumer Pulse Study, released July 22, 2026 There's a small but real shift happening in Canadian households right now. After years of headlines about affordability and inflation, a new survey suggests things are slightly less bleak — but Canadians aren't relaxing. They're getting more careful, and increasingly, more worried about fraud than about their credit score. TransUnion's newest Consumer Pulse Study, out today, paints a picture of a country cautiously exhaling — while quietly tightening the locks on its financial front door. The Good News: A Little More Breathing Room For the first time in a while, the numbers aren't all doom. Roughly a quarter of Canadians surveyed said their household income rose over the past three months, and nearly one in four say their finances are running better than they expected this year — the best reading TransUnion has recorded in the past 12 months. Optimism is edging up too: 45% ...

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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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