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5 Things to Know Today: Canada Enters Recession, Oil Slips on Iran Ceasefire Talk

Saturday, May 30, 2026 — Your quick-hit Canadian financial briefing for the day. 1.Canada Officially Meets the Definition of a Technical Recession Statistics Canada confirmed Friday that real GDP contracted 0.1% on an annualized basis in Q1 2026 — following a revised 1.0% drop in Q4 2025 . That's two straight quarters of negative growth, which meets the technical definition of a recession. The miss was a big one: economists had forecast growth of 1.5% . The main culprits were a surge in imports (up 2.9%, largely gold), declining business capital investment (down 0.7% — its fifth consecutive quarterly drop ), and weakness in resource extraction and construction. On a per-capita basis, GDP actually edged up 0.2% as Canada's population shrank for the second quarter in a row. Not everyone is ready to call it a full recession: some economists note that three of the four weak months were isolated, and early April data points to a sharp 0.4% rebound . Still, the numbers ...

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Trump Criticizes Federal Reserve Chair Powell Over Tariff Remarks

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President Donald Trump has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, hinting at his removal following Powell's comments on the economic impact of tariffs. Powell, in a recent speech, highlighted the potential for increased inflation and slowed economic growth due to the tariffs, which he described as larger than anticipated.

Trump, in a social media post, criticized Powell for not lowering interest rates aggressively, comparing the Federal Reserve's approach unfavorably to the European Central Bank. He stated that Powell's "termination cannot come fast enough," despite legal protections that prevent the president from firing the Federal Reserve Chair without cause.

Powell, who was initially appointed by Trump in 2018 and reappointed in 2022, has emphasized the Federal Reserve's independence and commitment to making decisions based on economic analysis rather than political pressure. This clash underscores ongoing tensions between the administration and the central bank over monetary policy and economic strategy.

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