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After several years of elevated interest rates, tightening liquidity, and inflation-driven uncertainty, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for monetary policy. The key question is no longer whether rates are “high” — but how central banks adapt from here.
Canada is entering a period where households feel increasingly squeezed, even though headline inflation appears to be moderating. The combination of lingering core inflation, a fragile economic backdrop, and shifting U.S. policies is creating a complex environment where everyday costs continue to climb faster than incomes. Understanding this landscape requires examining both domestic factors and the powerful spillover effects from the United States — Canada’s largest trading partner and the most influential external force on its economic conditions.
The Federal Reserve’s recent interest rate cut of 0.25% in October 2025 has reignited discussions on the relationship between monetary policy and stock market performance. Investors, analysts, and economists are closely evaluating how the Fed’s interest rate decisions will shape U.S. economic growth, inflation trends, and global financial markets heading into 2026.
U.S. stock futures indicated a lower open on Wall Street on the final trading day of the quarter, as investor caution intensified over the high probability of a U.S. government shutdown.
The Federal Reserve System is the central banking system of the United States. The Federal Reserve System is composed of several layers. It is governed by the presidentially-appointed board of governance or Federal Reserve Board. In response to the financial panic of 1907 The Fed was established by the President Woodrow Wilson on 23 Dec. 1913.
Before that the U.S. was the only major financial power without a central bank. Its creation was precipitated by repeated financial panics that afflicted the U.S. economy over the previous century, leading to severe economic disruptions due to bank failures and business bankruptcies. A crisis in 1907 led to calls for an institution that would prevent panics and disruptions.