What’s Priced In? Why Markets Don’t React the Way You Expect
One of the biggest early lessons in investing is that markets don’t react to headlines—they react to expectations. Understanding what’s already “priced in” can completely change how you read market moves.
The AI Trade Reignites
The AI rally is back. After months of investor concerns over soaring spending and uncertain returns, strong earnings and accelerating demand have pushed artificial intelligence stocks back into the driver’s seat. This week, I take a closer look at what’s fueling the resurgence and why AI has once again become one of the market’s biggest stories.
Behind the Wheel: Driving Your Portfolio
What does Formula 1 racing have in common with investing? More than you might think. While most people focus on the car crossing the finish line first, success in F1 depends on dozens of moving parts working together behind the scenes. Investing works much the same way. Markets are shaped by countless interconnected forces, from economic data and interest rates to sector leadership and investor behaviour. This week, I explore why building wealth is less about finding the fastest stock and more about navigating the twists and turns of the market with discipline and patience as you work toward your own financial finish line.
Hawk or Dove? The Fed’s Next Chapter
Jerome Powell’s era at the Federal Reserve has come to an end, and Kevin Warsh now takes over one of the most powerful positions in global finance. With inflation, interest rates, and economic growth all hanging in the balance, investors are now asking the big question: will the Fed’s next chapter be led by a hawk or a dove?
An Ominous Start to a Historically Volatile Month
Well, August didn’t waste any time making waves. Both the Canadian and US markets opened the month with sharp declines on August 1, but the storm clouds actually started forming the day before. President Trump signed an executive order imposing new import duties, ranging from 10% to 41%, on about 90 countries. Canada was hit with a hefty 35% rate, alongside India, Taiwan, and others. The tariffs didn’t take effect until August 7, but the announcement alone rattled markets, fuelling worries about renewed trade tensions and rising inflation risks.
Then came Friday’s US jobs report, which landed with a thud. Payroll growth in July came in roughly 25% below expectations, and to make matters worse, May and June were revised down by a combined 258,000 jobs. That raised fresh concerns about a slowing economy.
Liberation Day, part 2
President Trump kicked off a new wave of tariffs this week, reigniting global trade tensions. The move came just days after progress with the European Union (EU) and Japan had boosted market optimism – but that optimism is now giving way to concern.
The latest action includes a sweeping 35% tariff on Canadian goods not covered by CUSMA, which caught many by surprise. It also targets exports from Brazil, India, and other trading partners, with tariffs ranging from 10% to 25%. These new duties hit a wide range of products, from industrial parts and electronics to everyday consumer goods, raising fears of a broader trade war.