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Canada’s Inflation Climbs to 2.4% as Gas Prices Surge to Record High

  Canada’s inflation rate accelerated to 2.4% in March , up from 1.8% in February, as the Iran war triggered the largest monthly gasoline price increase on record . Statistics Canada reported that gas prices surged 21.2% month‑over‑month , a supply‑shock response to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and broader Middle East instability.  Energy costs were the dominant driver of March inflation, with overall energy prices rising 3.9% year‑over‑year after a sharp decline the month before. Excluding gasoline, inflation would have eased to 2.2% , highlighting how concentrated the price shock was.  Food inflation offered mixed relief: grocery prices rose 4.4% , while fresh vegetables jumped 7.8% due to difficult growing conditions. Restaurant inflation cooled sharply as last year’s tax‑holiday distortions fell out of the annual comparison.  Economists note that while headline inflation spiked, core measures remained relatively tame , giving the Bank of Canada ro...

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Global IT Outage Sends Dow Futures Tumbling

                                             

The stock market faced turbulence today as Dow futures slipped following a massive global IT outage. This unprecedented disruption affected various sectors, including travel, finance, and healthcare, causing significant operational challenges worldwide.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell by 0.2%, reflecting investor concerns over the outage’s impact. The S&P 500 futures saw a slight increase of 0.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures edged up by 0.2%.

The outage, linked to a botched update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, led to widespread disruptions. Flights were grounded, banks experienced service interruptions, and media companies faced broadcasting issues. Although CrowdStrike has implemented a fix, the fallout continues to affect global markets.

Investors are now closely monitoring the situation, hoping for stability as the fix takes effect. The market’s reaction underscores the vulnerability of global systems to IT disruptions and the far-reaching consequences of such events.


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