Economic Significance and Future of 3 Counties at Heart of PwC Business Forum - PwC

Given the current uncertainty in the Canada–United States relationship, Canada has doubled down on building new trade partnerships and expanding existing ones. From March 2025 to March 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney has made 26 trips abroad and has secured four binding trade deals. While trade diversification is a strategic response to reduce Canada’s dependence on the U. S market, this article argues that the Canada and U. S. trade relationship is likely impossible to replicate based on two factors: economic size and geographic distance. Canada and the United States have one of the world’s closest international relationships, one that has been historically built on trust, cooperation, and shared economic and security interests. The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner, Canada is the second largest trading partner to the United States.

Home sellers cut asking prices on more than 3,000 properties a day on average in Britain during September, according to figures from Rightmove shared exclusively with the BBC. The property website said the total was the highest of any month for 15 years and was driven, in part, by a glut of homes on the market and some sellers setting unrealistic expectations. The proportion of listed homes that eventually had a price cut peaked in 2023 and has remained relatively high since. Property portals say buyers are now having to be choosy, with many working to a tight budget as mortgage rates have risen to three-year highs. "Once a home has been on the market for a while and then has a price reduction, some buyers start asking questions, even when there is nothing wrong with the property," said Colleen Babcock of Rightmove. "In a market with so much choice, first impressions matter. "Rightmove data said the average price reduction was nearly 7% - the equivalent of nearly £21,000 cut from a typically valued home. Its data showed that homes that had a price reduction typically took 119 days to find a buyer, compared with 39 days for those listed at one price.

Soaring freight is forcing oil producers into discounts, pushing delivered prices towards $140/bbl in China and prompting producers to absorb more transport costs to secure buyers. India is attracting more Brazilian and West African barrels as shorter voyages improve sellers’ returns, while Chinese refiners hold out for cheaper deliveries.

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The S&P 500 lost nearly 2% last week, its biggest weekly decline since late June. The Nasdaq fell 4.5%, snapping a four-week winning streak.