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Monday’s CPI Could Decide Your Next Mortgage Payment

  Canada lost 68,000 jobs in September. Inflation is sitting at 3%. The Bank of Canada has to decide on October 28 which of those facts matters more, and on Monday morning one more number lands to help it choose. If you carry a variable-rate mortgage, a HELOC or a renewal this winter, that number has a price tag. Two reports pulling in opposite directions The jobs data came first. Statistics Canada reported on October 9 that employment fell by 68,000 in September, pushing the unemployment rate to 6.5% from 6.4%. It followed a drop of about 42,000 in August, which means more than half of the 181,000 jobs gained between April and July have now been wiped out. Ontario shed 20,000 positions on its own. Markets reacted within hours: the odds of a quarter-point Bank of Canada hike on October 28 dropped to roughly 25% from about 40%, according to LSEG data reported by Reuters. Inflation is telling the opposite story. The consumer price index rose 3.0% year over year in August, matching Ju...
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McDonald’s Slashes Combo Meal Prices to Win Back Budget-Conscious Diners

 

McDonald’s is rolling out price cuts on select combo meals in a bid to lure back customers put off by rising fast-food costs. Starting September 8, the chain will reintroduce its “Extra Value Meals,” offering popular items like the Big Mac, Egg McMuffin, and McCrispy sandwich paired with fries or hash browns and a drink at roughly 15% less than if purchased separately.

To kick off the promotion, most U.S. locations will feature an $8 Big Mac meal and a $5 Sausage McMuffin meal, though customers in California, Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam will pay $1 more. The move comes after years of declining visits from lower-income customers, with industry data showing double-digit drops in fast-food visits among households earning under $45,000 annually.

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski acknowledged that combo meals priced over $10 have hurt the brand’s value perception. The company has faced criticism for steep price hikes in recent years, with the average menu price rising 40% since 2019 due to higher labor, packaging, and food costs.

The pricing shift could pressure competitors like Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Domino’s—already experimenting with their own deals—to follow suit. Whether these discounts will be enough to reverse the trend remains to be seen, but McDonald’s is betting that affordability will bring customers back through its golden arches.


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