Ottawa Taps Alberta Channel To Restart China Trade
Ottawa is leaning on Alberta’s uninterrupted China engagement as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s team prepares for an expected China trip aimed at cooling a trade conflict and reopening channels for investment and commodity access. Invest Alberta, the provincial Crown corporation, says federal contact has surged. “We’ve had more conversations with the federal government in the […]
Trump’s Touted GDP, Inflation Questioned After Shutdown Data Gaps
The Trump administration’s late-December economic victory lap is colliding with a core challenge raised by critics: the headline inflation and GDP figures are being treated as policy proof points even as key data inputs were allegedly disrupted and substituted. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported inflation fell to a 2.7% annual rate in November, down […]
Venezuela Reports Strong Growth Amid US Military Escalation
Venezuela’s economy posted robust growth through 2025 even as the Trump administration deployed the largest US military force in the Caribbean since the Cold War. Venezuela’s Central Bank reported GDP expanded 9.32% in the first quarter, driven by 18.23% growth in oil production. Growth continued with 6.65% in the second quarter and 8.71% in the […]
Russian Cargo Ship Carried Nuclear Reactor Parts to North Korea Before Sinking, Spanish Investigation Finds
Spanish authorities concluded that a Russian cargo vessel carried nuclear submarine reactor components bound for North Korea when it sank in the Mediterranean Sea on December 23, 2024, according to an investigation by Spanish newspaper La Verdad. The Ursa Major went down approximately 60 nautical miles southeast of Spain’s port city of Cartagena after crew […]
Zelensky Says He’s Discussing US Troop Deployment With Trump
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday he is discussing the possibility of American military presence in Ukraine with President Donald Trump, though the White House has not confirmed any such plans. Zelensky addressed reporters through WhatsApp messages, stating that decisions about US troops “can only be confirmed by the President of the United States of […]
Gold-Backed BRICS Currency Tests Dollar Dominance
The BRICS+ bloc is piloting a gold-anchored settlement instrument, referred to for now as the “Unit”, that uses a 40% physical gold and 60% BRICS-currency basket to value cross-border settlement without replacing national currencies. Researchers launched the pilot on in October 2025 inside the 10-member BRICS+ group listed as Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, […]
Saks Global Considers Bankruptcy as $100 Million Debt Payment Looms
Saks Global Enterprises is weighing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing as the luxury retailer confronts more than $100 million in debt payments due by year-end, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg. The company, which owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, is exploring emergency financing options and potential […]
CME Hikes Metals Margins Into Year End Volatility For Second Time
CME Group just made metal exposure more expensive after releasing an advisory that raises margin requirements across gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, effective after the close of business December 31, 2025. The notice frames the move as a normal volatility review “to ensure adequate collateral coverage,” approved by Clearing House Risk Management for the listed […]
Canada Flips To $62B Capital Outflow In 2025 From $50B Inflow
Foreign investors pulled back as Canadians ramped up overseas buying, flipping Canada’s 2025 capital flow balance to a net outflow of nearly $62 billion in the year to September from a $50 billion inflow over the same period last year. Foreign acquisitions of Canadian securities fell 60% to $58 billion in the first nine months […]
Fleeing Bella 1 Crew Paints Russian Flag as Coast Guard Chase Enters Second Week
The crew of the Bella 1 oil tanker has painted a Russian flag on the vessel’s hull and declared Russian status as the ship continues to evade US Coast Guard forces more than a week after the pursuit began in Caribbean waters, according to American officials who spoke to The New York Times. The 300,000-ton […]