Businesses expect slower sales in short term as cost, labour issues persist: survey
By The Canadian Press on March 16th, 2023
OTTAWA – The Canadian Chamber of Commerce says businesses expect subdued sales in the short term as they face continued cost and labour pressures, despite slowing inflation. According to the chamber’s Business Data Lab, which on Thursday released its first-quarter survey on business conditions, one-third of companies expect to raise prices next quarter. The retail, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!S&P/TSX composite rises Thursday while U.S. markets gain on tech, financials
By The Canadian Press on March 16th, 2023
TORONTO – Markets in Canada and the U.S. were up mid-morning on Thursday, with tech stocks in the U.S. helping drive strength as well as some signs of recovery in embattled financial stocks. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 86.56 points to 19,465.40. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 171.28 points ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Macron shuns parliament to raise French retirement age
By Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press on March 16th, 2023
PARIS (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 on Thursday by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power. Lawmakers were shouting, their voices shaking with emotion as Macron made the risky move, which is expected to trigger quick motions of no-confidence in ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Macron shuns parliament to enact French retirement bill
By Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press on March 16th, 2023
PARIS (AP) – French President Emmanuel Macron shunned parliament and opted to push through a highly unpopular bill that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by triggering a special constitutional power on Thursday. The risky move is expected to trigger a quick no-confidence motion in Macron’s government. The decision was made just ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Yellen tells Congress US banking system ‘remains sound’
By Fatima Hussein, The Associated Press on March 16th, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) – A week after the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday that the nation’s banking system “remains sound” and Americans “can feel confident” about their deposits. Yellen is the first Biden administration official to face lawmakers over the decision to protect uninsured ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Macron uses special power to enact pension bill without vote
By Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press on March 16th, 2023
PARIS (AP) – France’s government on Thursday invoked a special constitutional power to enact a contentious pension bill without a vote in parliament, in a risky move by President Emmanuel Macron. The decision was made just a few minutes before the vote was scheduled because the government had no guarantee that the bill would command ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Some Canadian employers offer egg freezing as part of expanded fertility benefits
By Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press on March 16th, 2023
Tonya Johnson, 39, is single, happy and freezing her eggs to buy a little more time before she starts a family. The procedure is costly – as much as $15,000 for one egg freezing cycle with medication – putting it out of reach for many. But Johnson works for one of a growing number of ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Some employer benefits cover egg freezing. Here’s a breakdown of the costs
By The Canadian Press on March 16th, 2023
Fertility preservation, or the freezing of eggs or sperm, is being offered by some employers as part of an expanded suite of fertility and family planning benefits. Here’s a breakdown on the cost of the procedure: Initial assessment and fertility testing: Covered under provincial health care in some provinces, but otherwise can cost several hundred ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Wall Street opens lower as smaller bank stocks sink again
By Joe Mcdonald And Matt Ott, The Associated Press on March 16th, 2023
NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks of smaller U.S. banks are continuing to tumble as Wall Street hunts for what may be next to crack in the struggling industry. Overall the stock market opened lower Thursday, but the losses were more modest. The S&P 500 fell 0.3% in early trading following a whirlwind several days dominated ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Europe’s central bank backs big rate hike despite bank chaos
By David Mchugh, The Associated Press on March 16th, 2023
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – The European Central Bank has carried through with a large interest rate increase Thursday, brushing aside predictions it might dial back as U.S. bank collapses and troubles at Credit Suisse fed fears about the impact of higher rates on the global banking system. The ECB hiked rates by half a percentage ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Wholesale sales up 2.4% at $84.2B in January, led by food and equipment growth
By The Canadian Press on March 16th, 2023
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales rose 2.4 per cent to $84.2 billion in January, led by growth in both the machinery, equipment and supplies and food, beverage and tobacco subsectors. The agency says sales increased in six of the seven subsectors, accounting for 84 per cent of wholesale sales. Sales of machinery, equipment, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!
