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The Subway That Took a Generation: Why the Eglinton Crosstown’s Delays Were Even Worse Than You Think

  Toronto has a long history of transit projects that drag on, but the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has become the city’s defining example of how complicated, political, and painfully slow building transit can be. Most people think of the project as something that started in the early 2010s and simply ran over schedule. The truth is far messier—and stretches back decades. A Project With Roots in the 1990s Long before shovels hit the ground in 2011, the idea of rapid transit along Eglinton was already alive. In the mid‑1990s, the TTC began digging tunnels for what was then called the Eglinton West Subway . Construction actually started—tunnels were being carved out under the street—until the project was abruptly cancelled in 1995. The partially built tunnels were filled in, and the corridor sat untouched for years. That early false start meant that by the time the Crosstown was revived as part of the Transit City plan in 2007, planners weren’t starting fresh. They were restarting a dr...

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Netflix and Tech Earnings Lift S&P 500 to New Record

 

The S&P 500 index reached a new all-time high on Wednesday, as strong earnings reports from technology companies boosted investor confidence. Netflix was the star performer, surging 10% after adding more subscribers than expected in the fourth quarter of 2023. The streaming giant also announced plans to buy back up to $5 billion of its shares this year.

Other tech firms also delivered impressive results, such as ASML, the world’s largest supplier of chip-making equipment, which saw its orders more than triple in the fourth quarter. Microsoft also hit a record high, becoming the first company to surpass $3 trillion in market value.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index rose 0.7%, outperforming the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which fell 0.3%. The Dow was dragged down by losses in Boeing, Chevron, and Goldman Sachs.

Meanwhile, the TSX Composite index edged lower by 0.1%, as gains in energy and materials stocks were offset by declines in financials and industrials. The Canadian dollar weakened against the US dollar, as the Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate unchanged at 0.25%.

Investors are now looking ahead to the European Central Bank’s policy meeting on Thursday, where it is expected to maintain its ultra-loose monetary stance and signal its readiness to support the euro zone economy amid rising Covid-19 cases and lockdowns.

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