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What to Actually Buy (or Skip) Before the Aug. 19 Tariffs Hit

  Pulished August 15, 2026 Four days out, the "stock up now" advice making the rounds is mostly aimed at exporters, not shoppers. Here's what genuinely moves the needle on your car, wine, and grocery bill — and what's just noise. At 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, a new round of U.S. tariffs is set to hit roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian exports — dairy, alcohol, and vehicles among them — unless Ottawa and Washington reach a deal first. As of this weekend, the signals are genuinely mixed. Canada's chief trade negotiator, Janice Charette, told a government advisory group Friday that there's still "a significant amount of work to do," with talks expected to run through the weekend. At the same time, industry executives following the negotiations told the Washington Post the two sides are inching closer to an arrangement that would pair Canadian concessions on autos, alcohol, and dairy with commitments on energy, defence, and critical minerals — in e...

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Nasdaq 100 Surges as Investors Bet on Fed Rate Cuts in 2024


The Nasdaq 100 index, which tracks the performance of the largest technology companies in the US, is on track to post its best annual return since the dot-com bubble of 2000, as investors anticipate the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates next year amid slowing economic growth.

The index has gained more than 30% this year, outperforming the broader S&P 500 index, which is up about 25%. The Nasdaq 100 is also close to its all-time high reached in February 2022, before the coronavirus pandemic triggered a global market sell-off.

The rally in tech stocks has been fueled by expectations that the Fed will cut rates as early as March 2024, following a series of weak economic data and rising inflation pressures. The Fed has signaled that it is ready to act if the economy falters, and traders have stepped up bets on rate cuts, according to Fed swaps pricing.

Some analysts believe that lower interest rates will benefit tech companies, which tend to have higher growth prospects and lower debt levels than other sectors. Lower rates also make future earnings more valuable, boosting the valuation of tech stocks.

However, not everyone is convinced that the tech rally will last. Some investors are wary of the high valuations of some tech companies, especially those that have not yet turned a profit. Others are concerned about the potential impact of regulatory scrutiny, trade tensions, and competition on the tech sector.

The Nasdaq 100 index is composed of 103 companies, with the top five being Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and Facebook. These five companies account for more than 40% of the index’s weight, making it vulnerable to any shifts in their performance or sentiment.

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