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Gas Is Still $1.81 a Litre: Why Pump Prices Won't Fall (and What to Do Before Winter)

  Canadians hoping for relief at the pump got bad news heading into this week: it isn't coming soon. The national average for regular gas was $1.81 a litre on Friday, according to Kalibrate, with provincial averages ranging from $1.557 in Alberta to $2.156 in Newfoundland, per GasBuddy. That's after a big policy move. On Friday the G7 announced plans to release 100 million barrels of oil right away, starting with diesel. Brent crude dipped on the news, then climbed back to about US$102 a barrel by the afternoon. Don't expect the release to show up at your station, because crude is only half the story. Crude oil explains only half your pump price Wood Mackenzie's Jim Mitchell says crude makes up 50 to 60 per cent of the retail price of gas. The rest is the cost of refining it, and that's where the squeeze is. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem pointed to damaged refining capacity worldwide in a Sept. 21 speech, noting that pump prices reflect crude roughly US$40 a ...

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US Futures Edge Up as Investors Await Earnings and Fed Meeting

 

US stock futures nudged higher today as investors brace for a busy week of corporate earnings and the kickoff of the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting. Futures on the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and Nasdaq 100 all rose by approximately 0.2% in pre-market trading.

This week is pivotal for the markets, with major companies like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Meta set to report their quarterly earnings. Investors are particularly keen to see if the substantial investments in artificial intelligence by these tech giants are beginning to yield returns.

In addition to earnings, the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting, starting today, is in sharp focus. While no change in interest rates is expected, the meeting could lay the groundwork for a potential rate cut in September, following encouraging inflation data from June.

The market’s attention is also on the July jobs report, which will be released later this week. This report, along with the Fed’s decisions and corporate earnings, will be crucial in determining whether the recent stock pullback has ended.

Stay tuned as this week unfolds, bringing significant developments that could shape the market’s direction in the coming months.


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