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Weekly Update for the week ending September 19, 2025

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Decisions, Decisions
This week, all eyes were on the US Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Bank of Canada (BoC) as both central banks faced the same question: should they finally ease up on high interest rates? With inflation cooling, jobless claims ticking higher, and consumers growing cautious, markets were betting heavily on cuts – and both banks delivered. For the Fed, it was the first cut since December 2024, while the BoC hadn’t lowered its benchmark rate since March 2025.

What Happens When Central Banks Cut Rates?

When central banks cut rates, it’s like turning down the interest on your credit card or mortgage – borrowing gets cheaper, and spending gets easier. But depending on whether it’s the BoC, the Fed, or both, the ripple effects for us investors can look a little different.

Weekly Update for the week ending September 12, 2025

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How Jobs and Prices Drive Rate Cuts
Recently the US labour market has been flashing signs of weakness, and this week’s revisions pushed job numbers even lower. That matters because the strength of the labour market often sets the tone for the economy – more jobs usually mean more spending, while slower job growth suggests things may be cooling. Against that backdrop, attention this past week turned to two key inflation reports: the Producer Price Index (PPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Weekly Update for the week ending September 5, 2025

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September Slump: Will This Year Be Different?
September has a bit of a bad reputation on Wall Street. Historically, it’s the weakest month for stocks – a pattern often called the “September Effect.” Unlike other market drops tied to clear events, this is more of a seasonal trend. Some say investors pull back after the summer rally to lock in profits. Others point to mutual funds and big institutions rebalancing portfolios ahead of year-end, which adds selling pressure. Add in traders returning from summer holidays with a cautious outlook, and September has often leaned negative.

History has delivered some painful reminders. In 2008, during the financial crisis, the S&P 500 plunged nearly 9% in a single September. In 2001, the 9/11 attacks triggered a steep selloff. More recently, in 2022, the index slid almost 10% as rising interest rates rattled investors.

So, what could make this September another challenging month?

Weekly Update for the week ending March 28, 2025

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Economists and analysts have been bringing up the word ‘stagflation’ lately – and that’s not a good thing. It’s an economic scenario no one wants, where growth stalls while prices keep rising. The term might sound complicated but understanding it now can help you avoid surprises later. So this week, I thought I’d go over what stagflation is and explain it in a way that’s easy to understand.

What is Stagflation?

Imagine you’re driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic – moving painfully slow – but at the same time, your car’s engine is overheating. That’s basically stagflation in economic terms: the economy isn’t growing much (or at all), but prices keep rising. Normally, inflation happens when the economy is booming, and a slowdown helps cool things down. But stagflation flips the script, combining slow growth with rising costs – something that can leave consumers squeezed and businesses struggling.

Weekly Update for the week ending March 21, 2025

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How Tariff Wars Are Impacting the Canadian Dollar—And What It Means for Us

With all the talk about tariffs and their effect on the Canadian and US economies, I started wondering – what do these trade battles mean for the already weak Canadian dollar? My first thought? It can’t be good. But that made me realize I wasn’t entirely sure how tariffs influence our currency or what that means for us as consumers, businesses, and investors. As Daenerys Targaryen would say, “Let’s begin!”