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The Mortgage Renewal Wave Just Peaked — Here's What the Data Actually Shows

Published August 30, 2026 For three years, "the mortgage renewal wall" has been the scariest phrase in Canadian personal finance — the idea that a flood of ultra-cheap, pandemic-era mortgages would come due at much higher rates and trigger a wave of forced sales. That wall is now mostly behind us. Two new 2026 surveys, one from Royal LePage and one from Rates.ca, show what actually happened when it hit. The short version: it hurt, budgets tightened hard for a lot of people, but the mass default many feared simply didn't show up. The last big group is renewing right now Royal LePage's 2026 Mortgage Renewal Survey, released August 19 and based on a Leger poll of 1,127 Canadians renewing this year, pins down where things stand: about 12% of all outstanding Canadian mortgages are five-year, fixed-payment loans taken out during the 2020–2022 ultra-low-rate window, and this is their last major renewal wave. The Bank of Canada's overnight rate sat at just 0.25% through m...

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Global Markets Reel as China Responds to U.S. Tariffs

 


Global financial markets faced a sharp downturn as China announced retaliatory tariffs in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping trade measures. The Chinese government imposed a 34% tariff on all U.S. imports, mirroring the rate of the U.S. tariffs introduced earlier this week. This move has intensified fears of a global trade war, sending shockwaves through stock markets worldwide.

Major indices, including the S&P/TSX in Canada, experienced significant losses, with futures dropping by 2.7% early Friday. Asian and European markets also saw steep declines, while U.S. stock futures pointed to further losses on Wall Street. The tariffs have raised concerns about a potential global recession, as industries and economies brace for the impact of escalating trade tensions.

Commodities were not spared, with oil prices hitting their lowest levels since the pandemic, and gold—a traditional safe haven—experiencing fluctuations. Economists warn that the ongoing trade conflict could lead to a contraction in global trade volumes, further straining economic growth.

The situation remains fluid, with investors and policymakers closely monitoring developments. The global economy now faces a critical juncture as the repercussions of these tariffs unfold.

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