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Oil Prices Rally to $70 per Barrel Oil prices are rallying toward $70 per barrel. Both the Canadian and U.S. economies are performing well, but sustained increases above these levels could pose troubles for the two economies. The last time oil prices were at $70 per barrel was in November 2014; back then though, oil […]

Federal Reserve Eyes Further Rate Hikes in 2018 The Federal Reserve raised its key lending rate on Wednesday, March 21; the first meeting under new Chairman Jerome Powell. The rate hike is a sign of confidence that the U.S. economy is getting strong with low unemployment and rising wages. The big question is how many […]

Markets Slump on Falling Tech Stocks and Fears of Trade War After a strong 2017, in which the S&P 500 advanced more than 20%, it appeared as though that momentum would carry into 2018. By late January, the index was up a further 7.5% and in record territory. It’s been a stomach-churning roller coaster since […]

After raising interest rates three times in 2017, the Bank of Canada held its key lending rate at 1.25% in March, with Stephen Poloz, the head of the bank, saying policy makers will “continue to monitor the economy’s sensitivity to higher interest rates.”1 But with the U.S. Federal Reserve storming ahead with its own rate […]

Managing the Risks of Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Investing Anyone who has paid attention to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin over the last couple of years understands just how volatile the market can be. In March 2017, one Bitcoin was worth around $1,000; by December it was trading hands at more than $19,000. It’s been a different story […]

Where Are Oil Markets Heading? For much of 2016 and 2017, oil prices traded in a tight range with a ceiling near $54 per barrel. But that changed late last year, with oil prices breaking out to the upside and in January 2018, oil prices broke above $66 per barrel. Where are oil prices heading? […]

Trump Announces Stiff Tariffs – No Breaks for Canada U.S. President Donald Trump is ratcheting up his war on trade. On March 1, Trump threatened to hit steel and aluminum imports with massive tariffs. Doing so would mean Canadian producers of steel and aluminum would take a bit hit. A trade war with the U.S. […]

Corporate Canada Doing Well, Canadian Stocks Not So Much Globally, major stock market indices are doing well; however, the same cannot be said for the Canadian stock market. The big question is, after a strong earnings season, will Canadian stocks rebound? A year ago, the Dow Jones Industrial Average passed the 20,000 plateau for the […]

Banks Taking Notice of Blockchain Technology When investors think of blockchain technology Bitcoin is usually the first thing that comes to mind. After all, Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency to enter the mainstream and blockchain is the technology that underlies all cryptocurrencies. What exactly does blockchain do? Blockchain is essentially a group of connected computer […]

Advanced Drone Technology When it comes to drones, most people think of military applications. Soldiers sitting in the safety of a room perhaps thousands of miles away from combat, flying drones into war zones to conduct sensitive military operations. While drones were first mainly used for military purposes, they are now used by drone enthusiasts […]