Relief Rally on the Horizon?
Exploring the sectors likely to gain – or stumble – if tensions ease.
Markets on both sides of the 49th parallel have been rattled by escalating Middle East tensions. With a potential ceasefire on the horizon, investors are watching closely to see which sectors could gain – or stumble – if hostilities ease.
Trade Uncertainty Returns
Last week, the United States Supreme Court ruled that many of President Trump’s global tariffs were illegal. Within days, the White House announced a new 10% tariff on imports from all countries, with plans to raise it to 15%.
Let’s take a look at how we got here – and the uncertainty it has created.
As I mentioned in my November 28, 2025 Weekly Update [link to Nov 28 update], I recently came across a stock I assumed was listed on Canada’s largest and most senior stock market, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE), only to discover it was actually trading on its junior counterpart, the TSX Venture Exchange. That small mix-up sent me down a rabbit hole into how Canada’s exchanges are structured and how they came to be.
January was a bit of a rollercoaster for markets. Indexes pushed to new highs, pulled back to catch their breath, and climbed again, before fading late in the month but still finishing in positive territory. Volatility (also known as buying opportunities 😊) was the name of the game.
How Central Banks Set Interest Rates
Interest rates are one of those topics everyone hears about, but few people really understand how they actually work. With both the Bank of Canada (BoC) and the US Federal Reserve (the Fed) recently announcing that they were holding their policy rates steady, it felt like a good time to step back and look at what these rates actually are – and how they’re set.
2026 Says “Hello”
Welcome to 2026 – and to the first Weekly Update of the year. A new year always brings a fresh sense of optimism for us investors, and after the bull market of the past couple of years, the hope is that the bull still has plenty of life in it. As always, there will be noise along the way, but the backdrop heading into 2026 gives investors a few reasons to stay cautiously optimistic.