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The Fed Decides Wednesday — Here's What It Means for Your Mortgage, the Loonie, and Your RRSP

  Monday, July 27, 2026 The U.S. Federal Reserve hands down its rate decision at 2 p.m. ET on July 29. For most Canadians it will feel like background noise. It isn't — here's the plain-language version of why it touches your mortgage, your cross-border spending, and whatever's sitting in your RRSP. The short version: Markets are pricing roughly a two-in-three chance the Fed holds its rate at 3.50%–3.75% on Wednesday. That's not the story. The story is that this is one of the least certain "sure thing" holds in years — and Chair Kevin Warsh's press conference at 2:30 p.m. ET could matter more than the decision itself. Why this meeting is different The Fed has held its benchmark rate steady at 3.50%–3.75% through every meeting so far in 2026. On paper, Wednesday should be more of the same. Under the hood, it's messier. Persistent inflation, running well above the Fed's 2% target for a fifth straight year, has kept a rate hike on the table. The oil-...

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A major power outage is reported in Spain and Portugal, disabling their capitals

 

A major power outage has struck Spain and Portugal, including their capitals, Madrid and Lisbon, causing significant disruptions across the Iberian Peninsula. The blackout has affected subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights, and ATM machines, leaving millions of residents grappling with the sudden loss of electricity.

Spanish power grid operator Red Eléctrica and Portuguese distributor E-Redes are working to restore power and stabilize the network. Early reports suggest the outage may be linked to issues in the European electricity system. The blackout has also impacted parts of France, further highlighting the scale of the problem.

Authorities in both countries have urged residents to limit travel and prioritize safety as traffic lights and public transportation remain non-operational. This rare and widespread outage has disrupted daily life, with courts halting work and mobile networks experiencing outages.

Efforts to restore power are underway, but the cause of the outage remains under investigation. This developing situation underscores the vulnerability of interconnected power systems and the need for robust infrastructure to prevent such incidents in the future.

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