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Budget 2026 Brings a Second Grocery Top-Up: Who Gets It and How Much

  Canadian Money Brief  |  Budget 2026  |  November 6, 2026 Another grocery cheque is on the way. In Thursday's federal budget, Ottawa proposed a second one-time top-up to the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit (CGEB), a payment worth half the benefit's annual value, expected to land in early 2027. $339 budget estimate, qualifying single person $679 budget estimate, couple with two children Early 2027 expected timing, exact date not announced $4.1B cost of the expanded program What Ottawa actually announced Budget 2026, a 511-page document titled "Masters of our Destiny," is mostly about investment and productivity. But tucked into its affordability measures is a repeat of something Canadians have already seen this year. The government proposes a one-time payment equal to half of the CGEB's annual value, and the Canadian Press reports it is expected in early 2027. A similar payment went out in June. That June payment was a one-time top-up equal to 50% of t...

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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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