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Monthly Archives: March 2016

Low loonie driving Americans to spend billions shopping at small Canadian e-commerce websites

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It’s always been common practice for Americans to head north for bargains whenever the Canadian dollar falls meaningfully underneath the greenback. Throughout the current slump, they’re doing so from the comfort of their houses by shopping online from small-time Canadian merchants. The Canadian dollar – the loonie – has fallen about 18 per cent against its U.S. counterpart over the ...

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U.S. economic activity continues to expand, but conditions mixed: Federal Reserve

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WASHINGTON – U.S. economic activity continued to expand in many districts from early January to late February but conditions varied considerably across regions and within sectors, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday. The decidedly mixed picture illustrates the headache Fed policymakers face once they next meet to determine the path of great interest rates on March 15-16. Consumer spending increased ...

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Untapped loans double Canadian banks oil exposure to $107 billion

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Canadian banks’ exposure to the struggling oil-and-gas industry totals $107 billion when including untapped lines of credit with outstanding loans, according to a review of company filings. That’s double the $50 billion in total outstanding loans generally highlighted by Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto-Dominion Bank and the country’s four other large lenders in quarterly earnings calls and presentations. The figure ...

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Natural gas prices may plunge below $1 on ‘insane’ storage glut not seen in 18 years

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Canadian gas prices could plunge below $1 per thousand cubic feet after March as a lukewarm winter and record gas storage conspire to create prices down. AECO, the Alberta benchmark natural gas prices, stood at $1.24 per mcf Wednesday, its minimum in 18 years, as gas storage exceeded five-year average. AECO prices last fell below $1 on June 30, 1995, ...

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How Banff’s champagne powder and the low loonie are helping Alberta battle recession

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On Alberta’s mountainous western edge, champagne powder, hot springs and evergreen forests are enhancing the Canadian province cushion the pain of the oil-induced recession. How Canadian snowbirds feel the pinch of the falling loonie: ‘There are no deals anymore’ Even Harry Rosen can’t help but keep one eye on the falling loonie nowadays. The 84-year-old founder of the iconic Canadian ...

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Corus to Catalyst: Thanks but no thanks for proposed rights offering

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The Corus/Shaw Communications/Catalyst battle – a battle over valuations, financial disclosure and the allocation of value from the Corus minority – reached a predictable turning point now when the target rejected a proposal for any rights offering where all shareholders would participate. As a part of its information circular, Catalyst, which holds 321,000 Class B Corus shares, said “the chance ...

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Former Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon dies in car accident a day after being accused of rigging Oklahoma bids

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Aubrey McClendon, the billionaire oilman who was instrumental in launching the U.S. shale energy revolution, died in a car crash in Oklahoma City on Wednesday morning. The lavish and leveraged lifetime of Aubrey McClendon The former head of Chesapeake Energy had at one point so closely intertwined their own financial interests with the company’s that a six-person unit managed his ...

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Artis REIT may not be selling but its Calgary office buildings are dropping in value

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Artis Investment Trust may not be commenting about reports its trying to sell property in Calgary, however it did confirm its holdings in the oilpatch count a lot less money they was once. The Winnipeg-based REIT said Tuesday it will be taking a $288-million writedown on its Calgary office portfolio, a move which comes amid rumours it is trying to ...

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