Skip to main content

Featured

How the Strait of Hormuz Crisis Is Hitting Your Wallet Right Now

Published May 17, 2026  |  Category: Oil Prices & Energy  |  By MoneySavings.ca If you've winced lately at the gas pump or noticed your grocery bill creeping up, you're not imagining it. A geopolitical crisis unfolding halfway around the world — at a narrow strip of water between Iran and Oman — is directly squeezing Canadian budgets. Here's everything you need to know, and what you can do about it. What Is the Strait of Hormuz? The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway just 33 kilometres wide at its tightest point, connecting the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Despite its modest size, it is the world's single most critical energy chokepoint. Before this crisis, roughly 20 million barrels of oil moved through it every single day — about 20% of all the world's seaborne oil supply, plus significant volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Think of it as the world's energy jugular vein. When it gets blocked, the entire planet feels it. What Happened? On Februa...

article

US stocks are on the rise today, with futures pointing to further gains as investors gear up for a fresh wave of earnings reports. Here are the key highlights:

  1. Tech-Focused Investors Anticipate Earnings: Investors are closely watching the tech sector as companies like Tesla (TSLA) prepare to release their quarterly results. S&P 500 futures rose 0.3% after staging a comeback from a six-day run of losses in the previous session.

  2. Tesla’s Catalyst: Tesla’s earnings are likely to be a significant catalyst for the S&P 500, given the stock’s weight in the index. The results, due after the market close, will be pivotal for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker, which has faced headwinds such as disappointing delivery outlooks and strategy shifts.

  3. Big Tech Earnings: This week, we’ll see highly anticipated results from other tech giants as well, including Meta (META), Microsoft (MSFT), and Alphabet (GOOG). Some analysts suspect that the momentum of these megacaps may be fading.

  4. GM’s Strong Start: Legacy automaker General Motors (GM) kicked off the earnings season on Tuesday by posting strong first-quarter results and raising its full-year guidance. GM’s stock popped around 4%, signaling success with its new electric vehicles and cost-cutting measures.

  5. Spotify’s Beat: Audio streamer Spotify (SPOT) swung to a profit, and its stock jumped amid an earnings beat.

Investors are hopeful that this week’s rush of Big Tech earnings will help pull stocks out of the slump that has persisted since the start of the year. However, some on Wall Street remain cautious. Keep an eye on the markets as we navigate through this earnings-packed week!


Comments