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5 Things to Know Today — June 19, 2026

Oil eases off war-driven highs, insolvencies hit a 17-year peak, and the CUSMA clock is ticking — here's your Canadian money briefing for Thursday. 1. 🛢️ Oil Slips Below $77 — But Don't Expect a Big Break at the Pump Yet Crude oil climbed back above $77 USD per barrel this morning after planned U.S.–Iran talks in Switzerland were cancelled by the Swiss Foreign Ministry — a reminder that the ceasefire deal struck last week is far from rock-solid. That said, the broader picture is improving: WTI is on track for its steepest weekly decline in months as conditions in the Strait of Hormuz gradually normalize following the interim peace agreement. The U.S. Central Command has lifted shipping restrictions from Iranian coastal waters, and tanker traffic is slowly resuming. What it means for you: Lower crude prices will eventually filter through to Canadian gas stations, but energy analysts caution that supply chains need weeks to months to fully unwind. Brent fell back to roughly $83...

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Google Lays Off Hundreds of Employees in Hardware, Voice Assistant Teams Amid Cost-Cutting Drive

 

Google has laid off hundreds of employees working on its hardware, voice assistance and engineering teams as part of cost-cutting measures. 

The cuts come as Google looks towards “responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead,” the company said in a statement. The job cuts are part of a broader effort to reduce costs and streamline operations.

Google earlier said it was eliminating a few hundred roles, with most of the impact on its augmented reality hardware team. The cuts follow pledges by executives of Google and its parent company Alphabet to reduce costs  In a post on X — previously known as Twitter — the Alphabet Workers Union described the job cuts as “another round of needless layoffs”. The union wrote, “Our members and teammates work hard every day to build great products for our users, and the company cannot continue to fire our coworkers while making billions every quarter. We won’t stop fighting until our jobs are safe!”.


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