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Gas Prices Are Spiking Again — Here's How to Protect Your Wallet as the Iran Conflict Escalates

  Published July 20, 2026 If it feels like you're filling up more often for the same money lately, you're not imagining it. Oil markets jolted higher to start the week, and Canadian drivers are almost certain to see it at the pump in the next few days. What just happened Brent crude — the global benchmark that drives Canadian gas pricing — jumped nearly 4% on Monday to trade above US$90 a barrel, its highest level since mid-June, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate traded near US$84. The move came after the United States and Iran escalated hostilities over the weekend, including strikes on vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz and an attack on an oil facility in Kuwait. That strait matters enormously to your gas bill: roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes through it. When shipping through it slows or stalls, traders price in a "risk premium" almost immediately — and that shows up at Canadian pumps within days, not weeks. What it mea...

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US Stock Futures Retreat as Tech Stocks Lose Steam


US stock futures inched lower on Tuesday as the previous day’s tech rally lost steam after a Samsung profit warning took the shine off the sector. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.4% and roughly 0.6%, respectively, after both indexes closed with their best single-day gains since November. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 0.4%.

Samsung’s update weighed on hopes for a rebound in the PC and mobile sector, a key market for its memory chips. The Korean company said it expects a 35% drop in fourth-quarter operating income, far short of estimates, as demand continues to lag.

Investors are currently focused on the December consumer inflation reading due Thursday and what it could mean for the chances of an easing in interest rates. But two Federal Reserve officials on Monday poured cold water on Wall Street’s already fading expectations that a cut could come in the next few months.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose over 2%, recouping some of Monday’s near 4% fall as investors weighed the impact of tensions in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia’s decision to cut crude prices.


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