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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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Ceasefire Deal in Gaza: Hostages Freed and Prisoners Released


In a significant development in the Middle East, Hamas has released three hostages as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel. The hostages, Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon, and Keith Siegel, were handed over to the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip. This release is part of the fourth round of exchanges under the ceasefire agreement, which also saw Israel releasing dozens of Palestinian prisoners.

The ceasefire, which began six weeks ago, aims to release a total of 33 hostages and nearly 2,000 prisoners, as well as facilitate the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza and increase humanitarian aid to the devastated territory. The next phase of negotiations will focus on releasing the remaining hostages and extending the truce indefinitely.

The Rafah border crossing with Egypt has also reopened, allowing thousands of Palestinians in need of medical care to access treatment. This development signals that the ceasefire agreement is gaining traction, although the situation remains fragile.

As negotiations continue, the hope is that this ceasefire will pave the way for a lasting peace in the region.



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