With three critical U.S. employment reports sidelined by the government shutdown this week, Thursday’s Challenger report—normally a second-tier, private-sector jobs survey—grabbed the spotlight. Bond yields tumbled when it revealed that October layoffs had shot through the roof, which is never reassuring unless you're in

💡See also: Mortgage Tidbits (below). The U.S. government shutdown officially became the longest in history on Wednesday, with no resolution in sight. Among other things, a prolonged shutdown cuts government spending, delays projects, derails federal payroll and kills a huge swath of data production. That is disinflationary and growth-negative,

The BoC just gave the economy another 25-basis-point energy shot. That means Canada's benchmark prime rate will now ease to 4.45%, effective tomorrow. It’ll mark the lowest prime rate since June 2022. Moreover, if leading variable rates track prime lower, they'll become the easiest

💡See also: Rising Job Losses Trump Inflation. Fed Cuts 25 Bps Welp, people might not be able to afford steak at the grocery store anymore, but at least floating borrowing costs dropped. So now that the overwhelmingly anticipated 25-beep cut arrived on cue, what does the BoC have planned for