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Mojtaba Khamenei’s Rise Sparks Market Turmoil as Hardliners Mobilize

People attend a gathering to support Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 9, 2026.  Iran’s hardline factions mounted a powerful show of support for newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei , rallying across Tehran in a display that signaled a tightening of conservative control and diminished hopes for de-escalation in the Middle East.  The demonstrations, marked by mass gatherings and imagery linking Mojtaba to his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, underscored the regime’s consolidation at a moment of heightened regional conflict.  Analysts warn that the hardliners’ unified backing suggests Iran is unlikely to soften its stance amid ongoing tensions with the U.S. and Israel. Global markets reacted sharply. Fears that prolonged instability could further disrupt energy supplies sent oil prices soaring and triggered steep declines in major stock indices. With one of the most significan...

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TSX gains on rate cut hopes despite high inflation`

 


Canada’s main stock index, the Toronto Stock Exchange’s S&P/TSX composite index, rose by 0.75% to 20,777.19 on Tuesday despite a sticky domestic inflation reading.

The materials sector, which houses Canada’s major mining firms, gained 1.3% with copper miners amongst the top gainers on the benchmark index as prices of the red metal rose. Consumer staple was amongst the leading sectors, rising 1.2%, while utilities advanced 0.8%.

San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said cuts to the U.S. central bank’s benchmark rate are likely to be appropriate next year, the Wall Street Journal reported. Fed Atlanta President Raphael Bostic and Fed Chicago President Austan Goolsbee are also scheduled to speak later in the day.

Meanwhile, the loonie strengthened 0.5% against the dollar after data showed Canada’s annual inflation rate unexpectedly remained at 3.1% in November. The renewed acceleration in core inflation pressures in November was partly due to a jump in travel tour prices, which is likely to be reversed in December.

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