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Gas Prices Are Spiking Again — Here's How to Protect Your Wallet as the Iran Conflict Escalates

  Published July 20, 2026 If it feels like you're filling up more often for the same money lately, you're not imagining it. Oil markets jolted higher to start the week, and Canadian drivers are almost certain to see it at the pump in the next few days. What just happened Brent crude — the global benchmark that drives Canadian gas pricing — jumped nearly 4% on Monday to trade above US$90 a barrel, its highest level since mid-June, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate traded near US$84. The move came after the United States and Iran escalated hostilities over the weekend, including strikes on vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz and an attack on an oil facility in Kuwait. That strait matters enormously to your gas bill: roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes through it. When shipping through it slows or stalls, traders price in a "risk premium" almost immediately — and that shows up at Canadian pumps within days, not weeks. What it mea...

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Market Turmoil: S&P 500 Enters Correction Amid Escalating Trade War

                                                   

The stock market faced a sharp downturn on Thursday, with the S&P 500 officially entering correction territory. The index fell 1.4%, marking a 10% decline from its recent high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq plummeted nearly 2%.

This market turbulence comes as trade tensions escalate. The European Union's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including a 50% tax on American whiskey, prompted the U.S. administration to threaten a 200% tariff on European wines and spirits. These developments have left investors on edge, fearing the economic repercussions of a prolonged trade war.

Adding to the uncertainty, debates over a stop-gap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown have further rattled market sentiment. Despite cooler-than-expected inflation data, concerns about economic stability and policy unpredictability continue to weigh heavily on Wall Street.

The correction in the S&P 500 underscores the fragility of the current market environment, as investors navigate a landscape fraught with geopolitical and economic challenges.

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