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Monday’s CPI Could Decide Your Next Mortgage Payment

  Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September. Inflation is sitting at 3%. The Bank of Canada has to decide on October 28 which of those facts matters more, and on Monday morning one more number lands to help it choose. If you carry a variable-rate mortgage, a HELOC or a renewal this winter, that number has a price tag. Two reports pulling in opposite directions The jobs data came first. Statistics Canada reported on October 9 that employment fell by 68,000 in September, pushing the unemployment rate to 6.5% from 6.4%. It followed a drop of about 42,000 in August, which means more than half of the 181,000 jobs gained between April and July have now been wiped out. Ontario shed 20,000 positions on its own. Markets reacted within hours: the odds of a quarter-point Bank of Canada hike on October 28 dropped to roughly 25% from about 40%, according to LSEG data reported by Reuters. Inflation is telling the opposite story. The consumer price index rose 3.0% year over year in August, matching Ju...

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Gaza Ceasefire Talks End with No Breakthrough Ahead of Ramadan

 

Ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and mediators concluded in Cairo without any significant progress. With just days remaining before the start of Ramadan, the urgency to halt the fighting in the Gaza Strip remains critical.

During the two-day talks, Hamas presented its proposal for a ceasefire agreement, but the Israeli delegation chose to stay away from this round. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim expressed frustration, stating, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t want to reach an agreement, and the ball now is in the Americans’ court” to press for a deal.

Israel has not officially commented on the Cairo talks. However, their stance remains firm: they demand that Hamas provide a list of 40 elderly, sick, and female hostages who would be the first to be released as part of an initial six-week truce. Meanwhile, Hamas insists on allowing large-scale humanitarian aid into Gaza and facilitating the return of Palestinians displaced from their homes in the northern part of the coastal strip.

As the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches, the situation remains precarious. The informal deadline for a deal looms, and the fate of civilians caught in the conflict hangs in the balance. While the world watches, the hope is that diplomatic efforts will yield results and prevent further suffering.


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