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The Loonie Just Hit a 14-Month Low — Here's What It's Costing You

   Saturday, July 25, 2026 The Canadian dollar has slid to its weakest level since April 2025, and speculators are betting it has further to fall. Here's why it's happening and what it actually means for your wallet. If you've bought anything in U.S. dollars lately — a flight, an Amazon.com order, a hotel for a Florida trip — you may have noticed the exchange rate isn't doing you any favours. The Canadian dollar touched 1.4248 per U.S. dollar (about 70.2 U.S. cents ) last week, its weakest level in 14 months, before steadying closer to 1.41 . It's not just a bad week. Currency speculators have piled into bets against the loonie so aggressively that the Canadian dollar has overtaken the Japanese yen as the most heavily shorted major currency in the world, according to data from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Net short positions against the CAD hit roughly US$12.5 billion — the largest bearish bet on the loonie since December 2024. Why the loonie is ...
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End of U.S. Low-Value Import Loophole Signals Higher Costs for Online Shoppers

Retail analysts say that the end of de minimis will likely raise prices for many goods sold through e-commerce companies, as goods that previously avoided tariffs because of the exemption will ultimately be charged duties.

The United States has officially ended its long-standing tariff exemption for imported packages valued under $800, a move set to reshape e-commerce supply chains and raise costs for both businesses and consumers.

As of August 29, 2025, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) now applies standard duty rates to all global parcel imports, regardless of value, origin, or shipping method. For the next six months, foreign postal agencies can opt for a flat-rate duty of $80 to $200 per package, depending on the country of origin.

The change expands on earlier restrictions targeting shipments from China and Hong Kong, initially aimed at curbing the flow of fentanyl and other prohibited goods. Supporters, including U.S. textile manufacturers, hail the policy as a “historic win” for domestic industry, closing a loophole that allowed foreign fast-fashion brands to bypass tariffs and undercut American jobs.

However, retail analysts warn that the end of the so-called de minimis rule will likely increase prices for many online purchases, particularly from overseas sellers on platforms like Shein, Temu, eBay, and Etsy. Small businesses reliant on cross-border sales may also face added paperwork, customs delays, and reduced competitiveness against large retailers that import in bulk.

CBP data shows the number of packages claiming the exemption surged from 139 million in 2015 to 1.36 billion in 2024 — nearly 4 million parcels per day. With the loophole now closed, the U.S. government expects to collect billions in additional tariff revenue annually.

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