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.
Three Reports, One Story: Connecting the Economic Dots
This week gave us something we don’t often see – all three major US economic reports landed at once. Because of the recent partial government shutdown, the labour report, retail sales data, and CPI inflation numbers were released in the same week. Normally, these reports are spaced out, with jobs data arriving first and inflation and retail sales following mid-month. Seeing them together offers a rare opportunity to step back and view the American economy through three connected lenses at the same time.
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.
The TSX: From Trading Club to Major Market
A few weeks ago, while writing the weekly portfolio update, I came across a stock I assumed was on the Toronto Stock Exchange, only to discover it was actually on the TSX Venture Exchange. Then I saw another company I thought was a Venture listing but was actually on the main TSX. That mix-up sent me down a rabbit hole about how the Exchange works and its history. I found the story surprisingly interesting, and this week I thought I’d share some of that history behind Canada’s largest stock market – the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).