Author: Robert Jessi

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Oil trades in a narrow range on Wednesday as traders weigh a sharp rise in US crude inventories against persistent supply risks in the Middle East. At the time of writing, WTI trades around $82.20 per barrel, hovering near a one-and-a-half-week high.Data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed that crude inventories rose by 17.422 million barrels in the week ending August 7, far above the previous week’s increase of 2.479 million barrels. Markets had expected stocks to fall by 1.4 million barrels. This was the largest weekly increase since January 2023.However, traders largely shrugged…

Rising oil prices and bond yields threaten risk assets as US-Iran tensions intensify. EUR/USD remains vulnerable as energy costs pressure Europe and support the US dollar. US CPI could trigger short-term volatility, but oil remains the bigger market driver. In recent days, and bond markets have been flashing warning signs for risk assets. Yet, investors seem remarkably relaxed. However, if the current situation doesn’t improve markedly, we could see stock markets stage a bit of a correction, and in the FX space, risk-sensitive currencies, as well as those where the economy relies on energy imports, could take a dip. With…

Summary:Robust Canadian economic data and broad U.S. dollar weakness outweighed falling crude oil prices, pushing USD/CAD down toward two-month lows Key upcoming catalysts include Wednesday’s US CPI release and new 50% US tariffs on Canadian goods effective August 19, both pivotal for direction Holding U.S. dollars carries risks from Federal Reserve rate cuts, whereas Canadian dollar exposure remains vulnerable to falling energy prices and trade friction Oil prices have fallen notably in recent weeks due to changing dynamics in the Middle East and evolving supply expectations. Despite this, the Canadian dollar has strengthened against the US dollar more than anticipated, with USD/CAD…

Summary:Robust Canadian economic data and broad U.S. dollar weakness outweighed falling crude oil prices, pushing USD/CAD down toward two-month lows Key upcoming catalysts include Wednesday’s US CPI release and new 50% US tariffs on Canadian goods effective August 19, both pivotal for direction Holding U.S. dollars carries risks from Federal Reserve rate cuts, whereas Canadian dollar exposure remains vulnerable to falling energy prices and trade friction Oil prices have fallen notably in recent weeks due to changing dynamics in the Middle East and evolving supply expectations. Despite this, the Canadian dollar has strengthened against the US dollar more than anticipated, with USD/CAD…

Gesco reports 4.8% revenue growth in first half of 2026

Canada’s financial services sector, long characterised by stability and concentration among a handful of large banks, is undergoing a decisive digital transformation. Over the past 18 months, a confluence of regulatory reform, infrastructure modernisation and fintech innovation has begun to reshape how money moves, how data is shared and how consumers interact with financial institutions. The result is not merely incremental change, but the foundations of a more open, competitive and technology-driven system. The most significant shift has been the long-awaited arrival of consumer-driven banking, more commonly known as open banking. After years of consultation, the federal government confirmed in…

traded at 1.15403 on Tuesday, down 0.03% on the session, after clearing the 1.1516 to 1.1535 resistance band during a correction that has now delivered 0.08% over seven days and 1.20% over thirty. The pair sits 4.1% below its 2026 high of 1.2023 and 1.6% above its twelve-month low of 1.1354, which places it in the lower third of a range that has contained it since March. The move above 1.1516 matters technically and means less fundamentally than the chart suggests. It was a correction inside a medium-term downtrend rather than a reversal of it, and the driver was dollar…

Gold is back on the bids and looks to regain the $4,400 level in Wednesday’s Asian trading, having found buyers near the $4,350 region. All eyes remain on the high-impact US Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, which could determine if Gold stretches higher or corrects sharply.Gold’s fate hinges on the US CPI inflation reportGold has regained its upside momentum, following a brief profit-taking pullback from the ten-week high of $4,435 reached on Tuesday.Nothing appears to have changed in the fundamental backdrop as the deadlock between the United States (US) and Iran over the talks on the reopening of the Strait of…

Summary:Robust Canadian economic data and broad U.S. dollar weakness outweighed falling crude oil prices, pushing USD/CAD down toward two-month lows Key upcoming catalysts include Wednesday’s US CPI release and new 50% US tariffs on Canadian goods effective August 19, both pivotal for direction Holding U.S. dollars carries risks from Federal Reserve rate cuts, whereas Canadian dollar exposure remains vulnerable to falling energy prices and trade friction Oil prices have fallen notably in recent weeks due to changing dynamics in the Middle East and evolving supply expectations. Despite this, the Canadian dollar has strengthened against the US dollar more than anticipated, with USD/CAD…

The ​Canadian dollar ​strengthened ‌to an eight-week high against the greenback on Friday after the release of stronger-than-expected domestic jobs data and a U.S. labour report that, by contrast, missed forecasts.The loonie was trading ⁠0.6 per cent ​higher at 1.3935 per U.S. dollar, or 71.76 U.S. cents, its strongest intraday level since June 11. The U.S. dollar index, which pits the greenback against several global currencies, was down nearly half a per cent to 99.47, reflecting the weak U.S. payrolls data. Despite the Canadian jobs beat, money markets aren’t convinced it will necessarily translate into a rate hike anytime soon.…