Canada Entered a Technical Recession in Q1
Canada has entered a technical recession after two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. Q1 GDP was flat at 0.0% annualized, following a 0.1% decline in Q4, as a 2.9% surge in imports outweighed modest export weakness. Business capital investment slipped 0.7% for the fifth straight quarter, while household spending rose only 0.4% and the savings rate dropped to 3.5%. The data underscore a slowdown in domestic demand amid persistent trade imbalances.
Canada's Big Six Beat Forecasts and Slash Loan-Loss Reserves
Canada’s six major banks posted Q2 earnings that topped forecasts, with profit growth ranging from 10% to 25% year‑over‑year. RBC posted a net income of $5.51 bn CAD (≈$4.0 bn USD) and cut its credit‑loss provision to $912 m CAD (≈$666 m USD),...
Canada Could Have Built 30% More Homes Between 2006 and 2024, CMHC Says
A new Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) model shows that if Canada had matched U.S. housing‑supply responsiveness between 2006 and 2024, home starts would have been 30% higher and prices about 10% lower. The analysis attributes the shortfall to...
Chipmakers Are Minting Trillion-Dollar Valuations Faster than Ever Before
Three memory‑chip leaders—SK Hynix, Samsung Electronics and Micron Technology—joined the trillion‑dollar club within a 24‑hour window, propelled by soaring AI‑driven demand for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM). Over the past year their shares surged 859% to 1,007%, dwarfing Nvidia’s 58% gain, while...
BMO-Backed Lenders Block Mass Condo Exits in Court Ruling
A Quebec Superior Court dismissed a bid by a court‑appointed representative seeking to let 171 condo buyers cancel their contracts and reclaim deposits in the Phillips Square Phase I restructuring. The court ruled that such broad declaratory relief falls under the...
What’s Making International, Emerging Markets More Attractive Now?
Purpose Investments’ chief strategist Craig Basinger now favors a modest overweight in international equities, especially Japan, and a renewed exposure to emerging markets. He cites fiscal stimulus in Europe, governance reforms in Japan, and disciplined monetary policies in key emerging...
Canadian Asset Manager Puts $20 Million Into New York Hedge Fund
AGF Management Limited announced it will convert its convertible note into equity and inject an additional $20 million USD to raise its stake in New Holland Capital (NHC) to 50 percent, effective May 29, 2026. The move builds on a February 2024 strategic investment...
Oil Posts Steepest Drop in Months on US-Iran Deal Optimism
Oil prices posted their steepest single‑day decline in months, with Brent sliding $7.24 (about 7%) to $96.30 a barrel and WTI down $6.30 to $90.88. The drop came even as the Strait of Hormuz stayed shut and U.S. and Iranian...
Supreme Court Shuts the Door on Optimize Wealth Management Appeal Bid
On May 14, 2026 the Supreme Court of Canada denied International Capital Management’s application for leave to appeal a 2025 Ontario Court of Appeal decision involving Optimize Wealth Management, ordering the applicants to pay costs. The dismissal means the Ontario...
Canadian and Foreign Investors Both Pull Back From Securities Markets in March
In March 2026 foreign investors poured only about $3.4 billion USD into Canadian securities, the lowest level since January, and the inflow was almost entirely debt‑focused. At the same time, Canadian investors sharply cut purchases of foreign assets to $2.9 billion USD,...
Canadian Couples Are Trading Wedding Bells for Home Equity
A recent Royal LePage poll reveals that 79% of Canadian couples planning a wedding would ask guests for home‑down‑payment contributions, with 37% saying they would definitely make the request. Eighty‑two percent say they would scale back or forgo the ceremony entirely...
Market Rebound Lifts Canadian Fund Assets as ETF Flows Nearly Double Year-over-Year
Canada’s investment fund industry rebounded strongly in April, with mutual fund assets climbing to CAD 2.6 trillion ($1.9 trillion), a 4% rise from March, and ETFs expanding 6% to CAD 817 billion ($605 billion). Net inflows stayed positive, reaching CAD 2.4 billion ($1.8 billion) for mutual funds and CAD 13.6 billion...
Statistics Canada Reveals April Inflation Figures
Canada’s annual inflation rose to 2.8% in April 2026, up from 2.4% in March, as gasoline surged 28.6% year‑over‑year and broader energy prices rebounded after the 2025 carbon‑levy removal. The jump was partly offset by slower rent growth, though rents...
Anthropic Promises to Disrupt Financial Services, Conquest CEO Adds Context
Anthropic unveiled ten AI agents tailored for financial services, embedding them in Claude Cowork and Claude Code to automate tasks such as pitch‑book creation, earnings analysis, and financial modelling. Conquest Planning’s CEO Brad Joudrie says the agents will act as...
Ontario Is Planning the World’s Largest Nuclear Plant, What Do Advisors Need to Know?
Ontario announced a $220 million cost‑share with Bruce Power to build the Bruce C facility, adding 4,800 MW of nuclear capacity that could power roughly 4.8 million homes and make Kincardine the world’s largest nuclear plant. The project is part of a broader...