Skip to main content

Featured

5 Things to Know Today: Oil Tops $108, CPI Day, and the Investment Summit Kicks Off

  Monday, September 14, 2026 A busy Monday for your wallet: oil has punched through $108 a barrel on a second Middle East supply shock, Statistics Canada's August inflation report lands this morning, and Toronto is hosting the country's first-ever Investment Summit. Here's what's moving and what it means for you. 1. Oil jumps to a 4-month high after Saudi pipeline shutdown Brent crude touched roughly $108 a barrel and WTI neared $103 on Monday after Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline — a 7-million-barrel-a-day route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz — following drone strikes near Medina. A planned Oman meeting between Iran and Gulf states to de-escalate Hormuz shipping tensions was also postponed over the weekend, removing a near-term path to calm. Both benchmarks are now up roughly 9% over the past week alone, and some bank forecasts flag $120 oil as back on the table if disruptions persist. What it means for you: Pump prices, which had been easing thanks ...

article

Anticipation and Reaction to Fed’s Rate Decision

 


As investors braced for the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision, North American stock markets experienced a mixed close. The Fed maintained its key interest rate at 5.25%-5.50%, leaving the future of rate cuts uncertain. Despite this, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq dipped, while the Dow Jones and S&P/TSX Composite saw modest gains.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference offered a glimmer of hope as he dismissed the likelihood of an immediate rate hike, causing a surge in market optimism. He acknowledged the persistent issue of inflation but expressed confidence in the progress towards the 2% target.

The labor market showed signs of normalization, with job openings at a three-year low2. Meanwhile, the earnings season is more than halfway through, with a majority of S&P 500 companies surpassing consensus expectations.

In the corporate landscape, AMD’s AI chip sales forecast led to a 9% drop in its shares, while Amazon’s AI-driven cloud growth pushed its stock up by 2.2%. Johnson & Johnson plans to proceed with a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit settlement, and Starbucks faced a significant sales forecast cut.

The energy sector took a hit due to falling oil prices and a potential Middle East ceasefire, while uranium miners saw a boost from a U.S. ban on Russian imports. Canadian manufacturing activity continued to contract, reflecting ongoing economic challenges.

In summary, the market’s response to the Fed’s decision was a complex interplay of anticipation, relief, and sector-specific movements, highlighting the intricate dynamics of financial markets.

Comments