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Markets Update — Friday, June 26, 2026: Global Tech Sell-Off Rattles Markets as TSX Holds Firm

  Friday, June 26, 2026 — Reporting on confirmed June 25 closing data. Asian and European figures reflect Friday session activity. 🇨🇦 Canada — TSX The S&P/TSX Composite Index closed Thursday at 34,850 , up 0.3% on the day — a relatively resilient showing while Wall Street struggled with a tech-driven selloff. Gains in the financial and mining sectors carried the index. The big Canadian banks were a bright spot: TD Bank added 0.9%, Royal Bank gained 0.4%, and BMO rose 0.9%. On the mining side, Agnico Eagle gained 1.7% as gold prices held near the $4,000 level. Technology names were the drag. Shopify fell 2.6%, Constellation Software lost 3.6%, and Celestica shed 0.7%, tracking the broader global selloff in tech stocks. Still, with Canadian tech making up a far smaller portion of the TSX than it does on U.S. indices, the damage was contained. Investors also parsed Thursday's Bank of Canada Summary of Deliberations, which confirmed policymakers are keeping monetary policy flexi...

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Hong Kong Police Target Construction Firm After Deadly Wang Fuk Court Fire

Smoke rises from residential buildings as fires continue to burn at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, China, on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025.

Hong Kong police have raided the offices of a construction company linked to the catastrophic blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which has become the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The inferno, which erupted on November 26, tore through multiple high-rise towers, killing at least 55 people and leaving nearly 300 residents missing.

Authorities revealed that the company under investigation had been conducting maintenance work at the housing estate, including the installation of bamboo scaffolding and foam materials that may have accelerated the spread of the flames. Police have already arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter, citing gross negligence in the use of unsafe construction materials.

The fire, which engulfed seven of the estate’s eight towers, displaced thousands of residents and overwhelmed emergency services. Survivors described chaotic evacuations, with many trapped on upper floors as thick smoke and intense heat blocked escape routes.

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee announced a HK$300 million relief fund to support victims and pledged a full investigation into construction safety standards across the city. Officials are also considering phasing out bamboo scaffolding in favor of metal alternatives to prevent similar tragedies.

The raid marks a critical step in holding those responsible accountable, as public anger mounts over the scale of the disaster and the apparent negligence that contributed to its deadly toll.

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