Here are five things you need to know this morning
Biggest Canadian job loss in four years: The Canadian economy lost the most jobs in more than four years last month, driving the unemployment rate up to 6.7 per cent. Employment fell by 83,900 in February, with losses concentrated in full-time and private sector work, according to Statistics Canada. That followed a 25,000 employment decrease in January, when the unemployment rate was 6.5 per cent. The job losses suggest the labour market remains soft as the economy bears the weight of U.S. tariffs and an upcoming review of the CUSMA trade agreement looms over businesses.
Markets steady as oil stabilizes: Stock markets steadied this morning after three days of declines as oil prices eased off the day’s highs and investors waited to see if the war in the Middle East would escalate further. Contracts on the S&P 500 edged up 0.2 per cent, reversing an earlier drop, after the index fell on Thursday to its lowest since November. The TSX lost 279 points yesterday, or 0.84 per cent. Crude oil futures held around US$100 a barrel, after trading above $102 earlier this morning. Europe’s Stoxx 600 index also pared a decline.
New U.S. tariff investigation includes Canada: U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration began its second tariff investigation in as many days, this time including Canada, continuing its effort to rebuild his key trade policy that was struck down by the Supreme Court. The office of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday initiated the probe under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act into forced-labor practices in 60 economies. The European Union, China, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, India, Taiwan and the U.K. are among the targets of the inquiry. The move follows another sweeping inquiry announced Wednesday focused on industrial overcapacity in more than a dozen U.S. trading partners, including major economies such as China, India, Japan and the EU.
Record revenue at Wheaton Precious Metals: Annual revenue hit a record in 2025 at Wheaton Precious Metals. Sales surged more than 80 per cent year over year, and profit also jumped. The Vancouver-based miner says earnings nearly tripled to just under US$1.5 billion dollars, driven by higher gold and silver prices, as well as increased production of both metals. Wheaton also raised its dividend by 18 per cent. We’ll find out more when we speak with CEO Randy Smallwood at 10:30 am eastern time.
Dividend stocks that can withstand AI disruption: Artificial intelligence is raising new questions for dividend investors. BNN Bloomberg contributor Jon Erlichman spoke with Jenny Van Leeuwen Harrington of Gilman Hill Asset Management about how she evaluates dividend stocks in the AI era and the companies she believes can continue delivering reliable income. You can find out more in his article on our website, BNNBloomberg.ca.
