U.S. Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by half a percentage point

U.S. Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by half a percentage point

The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half of a percentage point on Wednesday, kicking off what is expected to be a steady easing of monetary policy with a larger-than-usual reduction in borrowing costs that followed growing unease about the health of the job market. “The committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is … Read more

Skip the Dishes, parent company laying off hundreds of employees in Canada

Skip the Dishes, parent company laying off hundreds of employees in Canada

About 800 Canadian employees are being laid off by Skip the Dishes and its parent company. The workforce reduction will affect approximately 100 Canada-based workerswith Skip the Dishes, the food delivery service’s chief executive, Paul Burns, said in a post on LinkedIn on Tuesday. Meanwhile, some 700 operations employees based out of Canada who work for its … Read more

Calm returns to Wall Street as U.S. stocks stabilize following recent volatility

Calm returns to Wall Street as U.S. stocks stabilize following recent volatility

U.S. stocks are bouncing back, and calm is returning to Wall Street after Japan’s market soared earlier Tuesday to claw back much of the losses from its worst day since 1987. The S&P 500 was rallying by 1.6 per cent in midday trading and on track to break a brutal three-day losing streak. It had tumbled a bit more … Read more

Global stock markets end week in a slump over fears of U.S. recession

Global stock markets end week in a slump over fears of U.S. recession

Stocks tumbled Friday on worries the U.S. economy could be cracking under the weight of high interest rates meant to whip inflation. The S&P 500 fell 1.8 per cent on Friday for its first back-to-back loss of at least one per cent since April. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 1.5 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite … Read more

Canadian seniors are wealthier than ever. Do seniors’ discounts still make sense?

Canadian seniors are wealthier than ever. Do seniors’ discounts still make sense?

Cost of Living9:09Is it time to retire the seniors’ discount? Whether she’s attending a chamber performance or playing in one, cellist and teacher Laura Backstrom says one thing is pretty consistent — the audience “looks like a sea of white hair,” she says. In contemplating why that is, Backstrom, 60, said she initially thought it was because seniors … Read more

Inflation in U.S. drops as consumer prices unexpectedly fell in June

Inflation in U.S. drops as consumer prices unexpectedly fell in June

U.S. consumer prices unexpectedly fell and the annual increase was the smallest in a year, reinforcing views that a trend of dropping inflation was back on track in the United States, and drawing the Federal Reserve another step closer to cutting interest rates. The consumer price index dipped 0.1 per cent last month after being unchanged in May, the U.S. Labour Department’s … Read more

With supply rising and prices dropping, is it time to buy a new car?

With supply rising and prices dropping, is it time to buy a new car?

For the first time in years, car shoppers are having an easier time finding a deal as the auto industry bounces back from supply chain woes — and experts say the outlook could get even better. Sticker prices at dealerships have started to come down and affordability is improving, said Daniel Ross, senior manager of … Read more

U.S. Fed holds interest rates steady, sees just 1 cut in 2024 despite inflation progress

U.S. Fed holds interest rates steady, sees just 1 cut in 2024 despite inflation progress

U.S. Federal Reserve officials said Wednesday that inflation has fallen further toward their target in recent months, but signalled that they expect to cut their benchmark interest rate just once this year. The policymakers’ forecast for one rate cut was down from a previous forecast of three, likely because inflation remains persistently elevated. In a … Read more

Cutting interest rates was easy. But the Bank of Canada still has a credibility problem

Cutting interest rates was easy. But the Bank of Canada still has a credibility problem

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says the central bank has to rebuild trust with Canadian households. After the last two years of interest rate hikes and messaging missteps, that’s not going to be an easy job. The central bank cut rates this week for the first time since March 2022, when it embarked on one … Read more

Indigo shareholders vote in favour of privatization sale to companies owned by CEO’s spouse

Indigo shareholders vote in favour of privatization sale to companies owned by CEO’s spouse

Indigo Books & Music Inc. shareholders have voted to approve a deal that will see the retailer become a private company. Shareholders voted Monday in favour of a $2.50 per share offer from Trilogy Retail Holdings Inc. and Trilogy Investments L.P., which already held a 56 per cent stake in Indigo. The Trilogy companies are owned … Read more