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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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French Election Outcome: Leftist Coalition Gains Majority, Macron Faces Uncertainty

 

The French election results have yielded an intriguing outcome. While the far-right party, led by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, increased its seats in the National Assembly, it did not secure an outright majority. Instead, French voters granted the most parliamentary seats to a broad leftist coalition, keeping the far right away from power. President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance came in second. 

Now, with no clear figure emerging as a possible future prime minister, Macron faces uncertainty. He has stated that he will wait to decide his next steps and is heading to Washington this week for a NATO summit. The new legislators can begin work in parliament on Monday, with their first session scheduled for July 18. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal offered his resignation, but Macron asked him to remain temporarily as head of the government. Macron’s term runs until 2027, and despite his weakened position, he still holds significant powers over foreign policy, European affairs, defense, and international treaties negotiation. 

For now, France remains in an unprecedented situation, and the challenge lies in navigating this delicate political landscape.

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