Relative small gain for index

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index posted modest gains Thursday ahead of the Easter long weekend, led by strength in energy stocks as the price of oil rose, while U.S. markets were mixed. Without major tariff news to react to, markets headed into the long weekend with a small bounceback, though some large names dragged, […]

Business travellers cancel trips

MONTREAL — First came the tariff threats. Then the annexation taunts. But it wasn’t until reports surfaced about foreigners being detained while trying to enter the U.S. that Oscar Acosta decided to call off trips to three business conventions south of the border. “That struck fear in my heart,” said Acosta, who runs Ottawa-based startup […]

Interest rate holds steady

OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada doesn’t know quite yet how to navigate monetary policy amid constantly shifting trade turbulence with the United States, so the central bank kept its powder dry with an interest rate hold on Wednesday. The central bank held its policy rate steady at 2.75%, the first time it has left […]

Break for Canadian auto makers

WASHINGTON — Automobile companies that continue to manufacture vehicles in Canada will get an exemption from Ottawa’s retaliatory tariffs as U.S. President Donald Trump attempts to upend the North American industry with steep import duties. Federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced Tuesday that auto manufacturers will be allowed to import a certain number of U.S.-assembled […]

Latest tariff news sparks index

News of relaxed U.S. tariffs on smartphones and other electronics helped propel gains on Canadian and U.S. stock markets on Monday after last week’s dizzying ups and downs. “The tariff news continues to really dominate headlines and trading,” said Brianne Gardner, senior wealth manager of Velocity Investment Partners at Raymond James Ltd. U.S. President Donald […]

Meta faces antitrust battle

WASHINGTON — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand on Monday in a historic antitrust trial that could force the tech giant to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups it bought more than a decade ago that have since grown into social media powerhouses. The Federal Trade Commission called Zuckerberg as its first witness, as […]

Manic market activity continues

Canadian and U.S. stocks closed higher Friday, capping off a tumultuous week that featured nausea-inducing drops and intense spikes driven largely by tariff headlines out of the United States. “It’s been a topsy-turvy day, like every day,” said Allan Small, senior investment adviser at the Allan Small Financial Group with iA Private Wealth. “I don’t […]

Leaders keep talking tariffs

OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump and his punishing tariffs got top billing in the federal election again Friday, as the third week of campaigning drew toward a close. Liberal Leader Mark Carney left the campaign trail for the third time to return to Ottawa for a meeting with his cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations […]

Chinese tariffs scare investors

TORONTO — North American markets posted more losses Thursday, reversing some of what they gained in a rally the day before, after the White House said tariffs on China are even higher than previously announced at 145%. “We’ve only ever seen volatility this high in 2008 and 2020,” said Brian Madden, chief investment officer with […]

Trump can be convinced: negotiator

Canada’s former top trade negotiator said Thursday that if nations around the world co-ordinate their responses to Donald Trump’s global trade war, the U.S. president would be more likely to back away from tariffs sooner. Speaking on a trade panel at the left-leaning Broadbent Institute’s conference in Ottawa on Thursday, Steve Verheul said that Trump’s […]