Author: Robert Jessi

Neo Energy enables cross-border share removals via Strate

Canada’s financial services sector continues to swim on the tide of technology. While banks have long embraced digital channels, 2026 marks a turning point where two technology-driven trends are moving from pilot projects and policy discussions into large-scale implementation: Artificial intelligence (AI) and consumer-driven banking, which is often referred to as open banking. For a few years, Canada lagged behind countries such as the U.K. and Australia in implementing open banking. That is now changing as the federal government’s consumer-driven banking framework rolls out during 2026, giving Canadians greater control over their financial data and allowing them to securely share…

USD The dollar is holding firm in early European trade, supported by higher and a broader risk-off move following the Samsung-led technology selloff in Asia. The geopolitical backdrop is adding further support: attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have lifted oil prices and reinforced safe-haven demand for the greenback. Markets are also looking ahead to Wednesday’s FOMC minutes, with rate futures still pricing a meaningful probability of a US rate increase by year-end. With explicit Fed guidance fading, next week’s US CPI release is becoming the main driver for USD positioning. For now, higher yields and weaker equity…

Federal Reserve (Fed) Bank of New York President John Williams said on Tuesday that the United States (US) economy continues to show steady, trend-like growth, while the labor market remains stable. Speaking in an interview with Fox Business, Williams noted that monetary policy is well positioned to achieve the Fed’s goals, although future decisions will depend on incoming data and risks.Key takeaways:Williams said he sees steady trend-like growth for the US economy.The job market is showing stability, with risks looking pretty balanced.The retreat in energy prices is good news and should continue to cool inflation.Inflation is still quite high, but…

The Pound to Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD) exchange rate climbed to its strongest level in around a decade on Monday as persistently weak oil prices continued to undermine the commodity-linked Canadian Dollar. At the time of writing, GBP/CAD was trading at CA$1.8971, having eased back slightly after touching a session high of CA$1.8980. Latest — Exchange Rates:Pound to Canadian Dollar (GBP/CAD): 1.89894 (+0.16%)Euro to Canadian Dollar (EUR/CAD): 1.623308 (-0.04%)Dollar to Canadian Dollar (USD/CAD): 1.42169 (+0.12%) DAILY RECAP: The Canadian Dollar (CAD) found itself under pressure on Monday, as weaker oil prices continued to weigh heavily on the commodity-linked currency. Crude has…

Consumers continued to cite tariffs and trade tensions as the most important factor affecting inflation (Chart 3). In follow-up interviews, one respondent said, “Where I work, a lot of raw material is used. … [Tariffs have raised] substantially the price of the item itself plus the cost to ship it, so we have to pass that cost on to our customers.” However, in the second quarter of 2026, consumers increasingly cited energy prices as a source of inflation. About 70% of consumers expect the war in the Middle East to raise inflation over the next 12 months. In follow-up interviews, several…

The Canadian dollar will remain the pressure-relief valve for secular productivity challenges, trade-related uncertainty, and the prospect that the Bank of Canada will be compelled to cut rates before year-end as the Fed either remains on hold or succumbs to market pressure to tighten policy. As this plays out at the two countries’ central banks, already deep negative interest rate spreads will move deeper into negative terrain. As all three challenges persist, if not intensify, the Canadian dollar will face unrelenting pressure, with C$1.60 to the U.S. dollar (62.5 U.S. cents) not out of reach. As we have seen time…

Stocks ease despite upbeat Samsung forecast, yen languishes

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge showed prices heated up to the highest level in three years, likely keeping the central bank holding interest rates steady with an eye toward hiking if inflation doesn’t dissipate. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index rose 4.1% in May, in line with expectations, and up from 3.8% in April. Month over month, inflation rose to 0.4%, a tenth of a percentage point less than expectations and the same level as April. Excluding volatile energy and food prices, the way the Fed prefers to assess the inflation gauge, “core” PCE rose to 3.4%, in line with…

GBP/USD continues its winning streak for the ninth consecutive day, trading around 1.3390 during the Asian hours on Tuesday. The currency pair rises as the US Dollar (USD) faces headwinds as market participants scale back expectations for Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hikes this month and in September. This shift in sentiment followed a cooling employment report that revealed fewer jobs added across April, May, and June than Wall Street had anticipated.Furthermore, a recent drop in crude oil prices, driven by an OPEC+ production boost and a US-Iran peace deal, has alleviated broader inflationary pressures, softening the urgency for an aggressive…