Even a few years of TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) contributions can become a lasting investment income stream. You don’t need a massive TFSA to get started. As little as $14,000 (two years of full contributions) is a great starting amount. In fact, you could earn more than $50 per month when invested in the right stocks.

If you are looking for lasting, predictable income, here is one way you could structure your TFSA portfolio.

A top Canadian energy stock for steady TFSA income

You could first put $3,500 to work in Canadian Natural Resources (TSX: CNQ). At $73.75, you could buy 47 shares. With a 3.4% dividend yield, that would earn $29.38 quarterly or $9.79 on average monthly.

Canadian Natural produces over 1.5 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day. In an industry where scale matters, Canadian Natural is firmly the largest energy producer.

This company is exceptional in almost every metric. It has an industry low cost of production, decades of proven energy reserves, a strong balance sheet, and high streams of cash flow.

It has grown its dividend for 26 consecutive years by a 20% compounded annual rate! This is a solid company to hold for a steady stream of TFSA income.

An energy infrastructure player with an elevated yield

If you are looking for a higher yield, you could buy Gibson Energy (TSX: GEI). At $33.07, you could buy 105 shares. With a 5.5% dividend yield, your TFSA would earn $47.25 quarterly or $15.75 averaged monthly.

Gibson is a leading energy storage company with over 25 million barrels of capacity. A quarter of the energy produced in Western Canada goes through its systems. It serves an essential place in the Canadian energy value chain.

Gibson is aiming for 7% compounded annualized earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) growth in the coming years. Combine that with its attractive yield, and shareholders could enjoy nice low-teens returns in the coming years.

A TFSA stock for monthly income

If you want exposure to real estate, Dream Industrial REIT (TSX: DIR.UN) is a solid TFSA pick. At $13, you could buy 269 units of Dream. With a 5.6% yield today, you would earn $16.14 monthly.

The REIT has a great portfolio of quality industrial, distribution, and warehousing assets. These are modern facilities that cater to a wide breadth of tenants. It has a solid balance sheet and just raised its distribution for the first time in years.

This stock trades at a large discount to the private market value of its assets. Dream presents a nice mix of value and income today.

A utility with top-tier dividend growth

Fortis (TSX: FTS) is a perfect stock for an income-focused TFSA. Trading at $77.50, you could buy 45 shares of Fortis. With a 3.3% yield, your $3,500 TFSA investment would earn $28.80 quarterly or $9.60 averaged monthly.

Fortis is a sleep-well-at-night, set-and-forget type of stock. It may not give you the biggest gains, but you will get predictable year-after-year returns.

Fortis is a large, diversified regulated utility across North America. Despite its size, it is still growing at a 7% annualized rate. With a 52-year track record of consecutively growing its dividend, you can expect a rising dividend stream for years to come.

The post How I’d Structure My $14,000 TFSA for Constant Income appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

4 min read18 October

“In past years, you have voted twice to support electoral reform. I hear you, I agree with you, and today I am announcing a new national commission on electoral reform,” Burnham told Labour activists in his first conference speech as Prime Minister.

“We will contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the electoral system so that everyone’s vote counts and everyone’s voice is heard.”

Burnham has long supported replacing first-past-the-post (FPTP) with proportional representation (PR), and reforming the Westminster voting system is supported by a majority of Labour members. Around 100 Labour MPs backed a campaign for a national commission before Burnham committed to holding one in his speech in Liverpool.

Supporters of electoral reform say it would make Westminster elections fairer. 

Earlier this year, over 50 academics wrote to the Labour government warning that FPTP risked producing distorted results on an unprecedented scale, with increasing numbers of candidates elected on low vote shares. “The collision of a multi-party electorate with a voting system designed for just two parties is creating new risks for Britain,” they said in a letter reported by PoliticsHome. 

A policy of electoral reform could also help Burnham win support from the Greens and the Liberal Democrats.

However, since the PM’s announcement, it has emerged that Labour MPs, ministers included, are far from united on moving away from FPTP – the system under which Labour under Keir Starmer won its landslide majority in 2024.

PoliticsHome understands that Louise Haigh, Deputy PM and Burnham’s close ally, has concerns about shifting to PR.

Other Cabinet members have previously voiced reservations about the idea.

In 2022, Angela Rayner, now Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said she was a “first-past-the-post girl” who was “yet to be convinced by PR”, telling The News Agents podcast that it could allow extremist parties such as the British National Party (BNP) to win House of Commons seats.

John Healey, now Chancellor, campaigned against electoral reform when voters were asked to approve the alternative vote system in a 2011 referendum, describing it as “perverse”.

He wrote for The Independent: “Immediately after an election the parties would be scrambling to do coalition deals. They would feel free to jettison policies that had been firm pledges only a week earlier. This isn’t the new type of politics people have been calling for. They want politics that treats them with respect, not as fools.”

Ed Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, took the opposite position in that referendum.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh and Communities Minister Florence Eshalomi were both signatories to the Labour MP campaign for an electoral reform national commission this year.

Neal Lawson, director of the pressure group Compass and co-founder of the new Labour group Mainstream, believes some senior ministers will seek to prevent reform.

“Some people in the Cabinet who are very opposed to it, who are old-school tribal, adversarial Labour, and they will try and do whatever they can to try and kick PR into the long grass,” he told PoliticsHome.

Labour MPs who oppose PR argue it would weaken the party’s electoral position.

The question of how Labour would build a coalition government in a hung Parliament scenario has been complicated by Burnham’s refusal to work with the Green Party as long as its passed conference motion describing zionism as racism remains in place.

A Labour MP who supports getting rid of FPTP admitted that “the prospect of having to rely on Ed Davey, or even worse the Greens, to get stuff through almost makes me physically sick”.

Charlie Buckley, senior research associate at More In Common, said forming a workable majority “looks even more complicated” under PR than it does under FPTP.

“The Greens would go from a handful of MPs to a sizable bloc, while Restore Britain would arrive in Parliament in numbers, potentially giving these smaller parties a kingmaker role in the formation of coalitions,” he told PoliticsHome.

Henry Tufnell, the Labour MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, said his experience of PR in Wales has strengthened his opposition to changing to the voting system.

“I saw on the doorstep ahead of the Welsh elections how democratic accountability can be lost under proportional representation and the broken link between the electorate and the representative. We should think very carefully about introducing any legislation nationally on electoral reform,” he told PoliticsHome.

However, Lawson stressed that the balance of opinion within the Labour Party had shifted towards reforming the electoral system.

“You’ve got the person at the top who’s instinctively and intrinsically pro-proportional representation, and you’ve got the whole body of the membership, and now the trade unions, and a big chunk of the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party).

 “The overwhelming mood in the Labour Party is for PR.”

The post Politics Home Article | Burnham Faces Labour MP Resistance On Electoral Reform appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

Insider Brief

• AiMOGA Robotics plans to open global pre-orders for Mobo, its first consumer home companion humanoid robot, at the 2026 Chery International User Summit in Wuhu, China.
• Mobo uses AiMOGA’s MoAgent system and combines spatial perception, object recognition, multimodal interaction, obstacle avoidance and memory, with 22 degrees of freedom for movement and gestures.
• AiMOGA, part of Chery Group, said its broader robotics portfolio is already operating in more than 100 use cases, with cumulative deliveries of more than 3,000 units across over 60 countries and regions.

AiMOGA Robotics plans to open global pre-orders for Mobo, its first consumer home companion humanoid robot.

According to the Chinese company, which is part of the Chery Group, Mobo will be formally shown at the 2026 Chery International User Summit in Wuhu, China, running Oct. 19 through Oct. 23. AiMOGA said the robot is designed for companionship and educational support and uses its MoAgent AI system to interpret complex instructions, break them into steps and plan longer tasks rather than respond only to individual commands.

AiMOGA did not disclose pricing, deposit requirements or delivery timing for Mobo in the announcement.

Mobo

Mobo combines spatial perception with voice, visual information and conversational context to recognize objects, navigate around changing obstacles and remember the habits and preferences of individual family members, according to Aimoga.

Its main features include:

• Movement: A full-body system with 22 degrees of freedom for movement, gestures and dance routines.
• AI system: AiMOGA’s MoAgent, designed to interpret instructions, plan steps and carry out longer-term tasks.
• Perception: Spatial sensing and object recognition for navigating home environments.
• Interaction: Voice, visual and conversational inputs for communicating with users.
• Navigation: Dynamic obstacle avoidance for moving through indoor spaces.
• Personalization: Memory of individual family members’ habits and preferences.
• Privacy: Privacy protections incorporated into the system, according to the company.

Mobo has previously been shown at the World Robot Conference and World Manufacturing Convention, but the Chery summit will serve as its formal global showcase alongside the opening of pre-orders.

AiMOGA is drawing on technology and infrastructure from parent company Chery, including its automotive research and development network, supply chain, environmental perception technology and CheryMind AI model. The company is using those resources to develop robots for consumer, commercial and public-service applications.

According to company, the summit will also feature other AiMOGA systems in demonstrations aimed at different operating environments. Police robots will perform patrol and traffic-guidance tasks, while healthcare robots will provide visitor guidance at medical stations. The Mornine robot will be shown in livestreaming and checkout-free retail applications, and the Argos Pro quadruped will demonstrate autonomous following and load carrying.

AiMOGA said its robots are already operating in more than 100 use cases spanning vehicle dealerships, retail, government services, traffic management, security, education and healthcare. The company reported cumulative deliveries of more than 3,000 units across more than 60 countries and regions.

The post AiMOGA to Open Global Pre-Orders for Mobo Home Humanoid Robot appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

Expensive diesel makes deliveries, farming, and construction harder to finance. For a company able to turn crude oil into fuel, though, a shortage can create a stronger selling margin. That difference explains why an energy headline can hurt household budgets while helping a refiner.

Suncor Energy (TSX: SU) gives Canadian investors exposure to that business. It produces oil, refines it, and sells fuel through Petro-Canada. The investment case is stronger when we separate what it earns from producing crude and what it earns from processing it.

Crude isn’t the finished product

A refinery buys or receives crude, processes it, and sells products such as diesel and gasoline. The useful margin depends on the difference between product prices and feedstock costs, after considering operating expenses.

More crude supply doesn’t automatically mean more diesel. The refinery has to have the right equipment, available capacity, and reliable operations. Transport costs can also prevent cheap crude from reaching a plant able to process it.

Current market coverage describes tight refined-product inventories and constraints on refinery capacity. The G7’s October energy statement also called for more refined-product production, particularly diesel. These pressures create an opportunity, but don’t establish that every refiner earns the same profit.

A simple example shows the difference. If fuel prices rise by $10 a barrel while crude input costs rise by $8, the additional gross spread is $2, before other costs. If both rise equally, the higher fuel price doesn’t create that same improvement.

Earnings evidence

Suncor reported second-quarter refinery crude throughput of 470,600 barrels a day, compared with 442,300 a year earlier. Its refining network’s stated capacity increased at the start of 2026, so the utilization percentage needs to be read alongside the actual barrels processed.

The company’s filings reported a refining and marketing gross margin of $61.50 a barrel on its specified inventory-cost basis, compared with $34.40 a year earlier. That’s about a 79% increase in that margin measure. It includes more than diesel, but it gives the fuel-market opportunity a concrete operating foundation.

At the group level, free funds flow reached $3.38 per share. This is Suncor’s adjusted cash measure after capital spending. The $0.60 quarterly dividend used about 18% of that amount, leaving substantial cash for other uses during a strong quarter.

For dividend investors, that comparison is more useful than assuming a shortage automatically guarantees the payout. Both upstream prices and downstream margins contributed to the result.

Earning income

At a recent close of $103.04, Suncor’s annualized $2.40 dividend yielded about 2.3%. A $10,000 budget bought 97 shares for $9,994.88, generating $232.80 annually at an unchanged payment.

That’s useful income, but the stock’s appeal also depends on repurchases and business performance. Management increased planned monthly share repurchases to $500 million beginning in August. Buying back shares can increase each remaining owner’s share of future earnings, provided the price paid makes sense.

The October share price was about 8 times four times the latest $3.23 adjusted quarterly earnings. That looks inexpensive on a strong-quarter comparison. It isn’t a full-year forecast, and elevated refining margins can make a cyclical business look cheaper than it would under normal conditions.

My judgment is to treat Suncor as a measured energy holding, with the dividend supported by recent cash. The main risks are outages, expensive maintenance, lower oil prices, and shrinking refining margins. An integrated model helps spread those exposures, it doesn’t remove them. Eligible shares in a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) can shelter Canadian investment income and gains. Fuel shortages still make the underlying earnings uneven.

Bottom line

The diesel squeeze helps explain Suncor’s strong refining results, but cash coverage and the purchase price decide whether the shares are attractive. Recent cash comfortably covered the dividend. At the quoted price, the opportunity includes income and repurchases, with enough restraint to avoid treating unusually strong fuel margins as permanent.

The post Diesel Is Running Short Worldwide: The Canadian Refiner Cashing In appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

The Kospi Composite Index continued its strong sell-off last week as jitters surrounding the artificial intelligence (AI) escalated. It dropped to 5,463 points last week, down by nearly 40% from its highest point this year. Technicals suggest that this sell-off may continue as a death cross pattern nears.

Kospi Index slumps as AI jitters continue

South Korean stocks have lost momentum, with investors dumping popular names like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix being in a steep sell-off. Samsung Electronics dropped by over 40% from its all-time high. Similarly, SK Hynix fell to 1.24 million won, down by over 57% from the highest point this year. These retreats have led to a wipeout worth billions of dollars.

SK Square, which owns a large stake in SK Hynix, has dropped to 784,000 won, down by 64% from its highest level this year. The retreat has also coincided with the sell-off in US memory companies, including popular names like Micron, SanDisk, and Western Digital.

The decline happened as investors remained concerned about the AI bubble. Data show that the AI Bubble Index has jumped to 76, and this rally may continue. As a result, some analysts believe that the bubble will start to burst soon. This includes popular names like Ray Dalio and Michael Burry. 

The fears escalated last week after Gartner warned that many large AI companies will need to announce billions of dollars in impairments by 2030. The report pointed to neoclouds like CoreWeave and Nebius as being the most exposed. 

Meanwhile, the AI industry has had some negative news recently. Firmus, an Australian company, pulled its IPO two weeks ago as investors balked at the valuation it was seeking. 

In another report, media reports suggests that OpenAI’s revenue was $20 billion lower than initially expected. Anthropic’s third-quarter revenue was also weaker than expected.

Crude oil price surge and South Korean Central Bank decisions

Kospi Index is also falling because of the ongoing crisis in the Middle East that has pushed crude oil priceshigher. Brent and the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) jumped to $110 and $101, respectively. This surge will likely continue as Iran continues shooting ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.

The next key catalysts for the Kospi Index is the upcoming South Korean Central Bank interest rate decision. Economists expect the bank to leave interest rates unchanged at 3.0% as it observes the current inflation trends.

Kospi Index technical analysis

Kospi Index chart | Source: TradingView

The daily chart shows that the Kospi Index has slumped in the past few months. It has dropped from 9,400 points in June to the current 5,668 points. 

The index resumed the downward trend after hitting the key resistance level of 7,209 in August, September, and October. It has now remained below the 50-day and 100-day moving averages, while the Average Directional Index (ADX) has risen. 

Therefore, the index will likely remain under pressure in the near term. If this happens, the next level to watch will be at 5,272, its lowest level in July. A move below that level will point to more downside, potentially to 5,000.

The post Kospi Index outlook: Headwinds pile up as the selloff deepens, what next? appeared first on Invezz

The post Kospi Index outlook: Headwinds pile up as the selloff deepens, what next? appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

Ocean freight rates are currently up about 8%, and the spike is expected to hit retailer margins almost immediately through domestic fuel surcharges, according to a Bank of America industry note.

Recent Citi data reported by Reuters showed that in September, luxury credit card spending dropped by 6% from the previous year. However, Ralph Lauren (RL) is not feeling the effects as much as other companies. 

Some Wall Street analysts have stayed positive on Ralph Lauren through most of 2026. On Oct. 12, 2026, Bank of America analyst Kendall Toscano reaffirmed her Buy rating and kept her $450 price target on RL.

Her reason for believing in the stock even though the whole retail sector is slowing down is simple. Ralph Lauren skews to a higher-income customer base that has remained resilient and is still spending, despite tougher economic conditions.

Why Ralph Lauren’s shoppers are still buying

Lower- and middle-income households continue to be strained, according to a recent KPMG note. 

Toscano wrote that the “RL core customer is doing just fine.” She pointed out that the business still has steady demand across its stores, with North America showing a solid increase in the first quarter.

Europe growth was more modest, with BofA expecting continued share gains despite macro pressure, and Asia, led by strong demand in China, is driving most of the company’s growth, as Ralph Lauren reported.

Also read: BofA gives Starbucks investors key customer insight before earnings

She also noted that “impressive global brand momentum remains intact,” and that the company beat earnings expectations by about 7% in its fiscal 2027 first quarter.

BofA believes the company will beat expectations again when it reports second-quarter results in early November.

What’s behind BofA’s $450 price target

Toscano thinks the worries about shipping costs that have pushed the stock lower are unnecessary.

Shipping makes up only about 5% of what it costs Ralph Lauren to make its goods, Benzinga reported. And the company already agreed on fixed prices for its ocean shipping earlier in the year, so sudden fuel spikes won’t hit it as hard.

Related: Starbucks CEO reveals what he thinks will keep customers coming back

She also expects Ralph Lauren to gain more profit from every sale next quarter. Toscano forecasts roughly a 90-basis-point expansion in operating margin and a 60-basis-point gain in gross margin year-over-year, driven by higher average unit retail prices and a favorable product mix.

“RL has a track record of expanding margins through significantly greater headwinds like tariffs,” Toscano wrote.

How Ralph Lauren actually makes its money

Some of you might already be familiar with Ralph Lauren. The company designs and sells premium clothing, accessories, home goods, and fragrances under brands like Polo Ralph Lauren and Lauren Ralph Lauren. 

More Retail Stocks:

• Ross Stores enters a new market as customers hunt for low prices
• Levi’s CEO admits the company missed the biggest jeans trend of the year
• Procter & Gamble could face new cost problem

In the first quarter of fiscal 2027, the company brought in about $1.96 billion in revenue, a roughly 14% increase from a year earlier. That shows its sales are still up.

Ralph Lauren also charges more without losing customers by improving its product quality. The company’s average selling prices have roughly doubled over the last eight years, but only about 25% of that came from charging more for the same items. 

What everyday RL investors should watch

Ralph Lauren is a good reminder that some retail businesses are still up. If you’re interested in the stock, watch for its operating profit margin when it reports second-quarter results. Beating expectations there again would back up BofA’s call.

There’s always a risk involved, though. Ralph Lauren’s European sales could weaken further, slowing its overall sales. That’s why I often advise investors to sit tight until the earnings report, when you can confirm the trend.

More Stocks News

• Bank of America CEO addresses a troubling banking problem
• Michael Burry just made another bold move on Wall Street
• IBM spent $11 billion on growth as its own software stalls
• Jim Cramer says it’s a ‘great opportunity to sell’ RKLB stock

The post Ralph Lauren has its wealthy shoppers to thank as retail softens appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

This story originally appeared on The Guardian and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

The climate crisis is coming for some of the world’s greatest surf breaks, submerging some as sea level rises and wiping out others as classic breaks get crushed against coastal developments.

Analysis of dozens of famous waves in World Surfing Reserves (WSR) found that more than three-quarters were at high risk because of changing tide levels, hardened shorelines, and shifting sands.

The impacts matter not only to the surfers catching the waves but also to the communities that depend on the multibillion-dollar surf economy, often located in places with little else.

The waves rated at most risk in the study include the “bombing barrels” of Croyde Beach in North Devon, UK; the point breaks at Noosa in Australia and Oriente Salvaje, El Salvador; and Santa Cruz reefs of California such as Sewer Peak and Wind and Sea.

The best surfing waves are created by intricate combinations of seafloor shape, swell direction, and tide. “Surf breaks are incredibly unique oceanographic phenomena—a confluence of all these factors that fit together just right to make the wave happen—and so those processes are really sensitive,” said Dan Reineman, an associate professor at California State University Channel Islands and a coauthor of the study.

Global heating is pushing up sea level and changing rainfall patterns that affect sediment movement, which can upset the delicate balance and destroy the wave. However, the researchers said the expert local knowledge of surfers could be tapped to help protect the waves.

Trent Hodges, a coauthor of the study and a senior programs manager at Save the Waves Coalition, which launched the WSR program in 2009, said: “Climate change will impact surf breaks all over the world in different ways, depending on their unique geographies. We learned directly from the local surfers how they are seeing their waves change. It’s a canary in the coal mine too—when a wave changes, that often means the beach is changing, and everybody enjoys the beach.”

The study, published in the journal Climatic Change, concludes: “Climate change and coastal management both have significant negative implications for the future viability of multiple surf breaks of global significance and, therefore, the myriad distinct local communities, cultures and economies they support.”

Almost 200 local experts analyzed 57 surf breaks in all but two of the 13 WSRs, spread across eight countries. The researchers said thousands of other surf waves around the world faced similar peril.

A key finding was that where coastlines were more natural, they could adapt better to the changes brought by the climate crisis, by shifting inland and relocating sediments. Development such as sea walls, jetties, and groynes made the beaches and waves less resilient, Reineman said.

Adam Hall, a cofounder of the North Devon WSR, was one of the local surfers who contributed to the study. He said: “North Devon is so special. We have Saunton Sands, a world-renowned longboarding wave with really long, mellow rides, and the UK’s best beach break at Croyde. We’ve got left- and right-hand point breaks and a sheltered spot for when it gets too windy and too big. Whatever you want to do, we’ve got it.”

He said surfing was very important for the local economy, and not just in summer. “Surfers will come throughout the year. They fill up the pubs, restaurants, and car parks when the swells are good in January, February, and March, where if you go to any other tourist destination that doesn’t have surf, they’re dead on their knees.”

The post Climate Change Has It In for the World’s Best Surfing appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

Crude oil prices continued the upward trend, reaching its highest level since May 20 as the crisis in the Middle East gained momentum. Brent, the global benchmark, rose to $110, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) moved to $99.05, well above its July low of $67.

Iran continues to shoot ships

Brent and West Texas Intermediate continued to rise as Iran escalated tensions in the Middle East. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continued shooting ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz last week.

Reports by the UKMTO show that this process continued during the weekend, when the corps targeted at least four ships. In total, it has shot down tens of ships in the past few weeks, and this trend will continue towards the midterm elections.

Notably, Iran has continued to fire on ships, while the Trump administration has stopped retaliating. Trump likely believes that a military response would only prompt further escalation from Tehran.

There is also a risk that Trump will escalate in the coming weeks as the US heads to the midterm elections. Some officials inside the administration suggest that escalation will lower oil prices, something that most analysts say is not accurate.

Oil prices have also jumped as the crisis between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis continue. Houthis have continued their attacks against Riyadh, pushing Mohamed bin Salman to shuttle between bunker palaces. The fear is that Houthis will use ballistic missiles and drones to target him directly. 

These events mean that oil flows from the Middle East will remain under pressure in the foreseeable future. This trend will change only when these wars end, which might not happen anytime soon. 

Trump has attempted to lower oil prices by waiving sanctions against Russia. The challenge, however, is that Russia is facing its own challenges, with Ukraine continuing to shoot refineries. 

With the relationship between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy worsening, there is a likelihood that Ukraine will continue these attacks. Ukraine is said to be drawing plans for more attacks against these refineries.

Brent crude oil price technical analysis

Crude oil price chart | Source: TradingView

The daily chart shows that Brent bottomed at $58.59 in December last year and then started rising. It jumped to a high of $119 in March as the US-Iran crisis escalated. 

After bottoming at $70 in July, oil prices then rebounded to $110 on Friday. It has remained above the ascending trendline that connects the lowest swings since July. These swings connect the lowest points in July, August, and September. 

Brent has also moved above the dynamic support of the 50-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA). At the same time, the Supertrend indicator has remained in the green.

Brent has also moved above the key resistance level of $109.9, invalidating the double-top pattern. Therefore, the path of the least resistance is highly bullish, with the next target to watch being $115. A move above that level will point to more gains, potentially to $120. 

The post Crude oil forecast: Why Brent could reach $120 as IRGC shipping attacks persist appeared first on Invezz

The post Crude oil forecast: Why Brent could reach $120 as IRGC shipping attacks persist appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

Canada’s September jobs report gave borrowers a reason to hope interest rates might stay put. It also gave bank investors a reason to examine the customers behind their dividend income. Weaker employment can reduce inflation pressure while making loan repayments harder.

Statistics Canada reported a decline of about 68,000 jobs, following another decline in August. The Bank of Canada’s next decision is October 28. The report now complicates that decision as high energy costs are pushing in the other direction.

The report

The unemployment rate edged up to 6.5%. A falling participation rate helped limit the increase, because fewer people were working or looking for work. The headline rate therefore doesn’t capture every sign of weakness.

The industry mix matters too. Educational services and health care accounted for substantial declines, alongside manufacturing. This wasn’t simply a report about one export industry. It also wasn’t evidence that every Canadian employer had stopped hiring.

The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 2.25% in September. It highlighted the risk that prolonged high fuel prices and tariffs could spread into other prices. Weak employment can discourage tightening, but it doesn’t remove those supply-related costs.

For a borrower, a quarter-point change can matter without transforming the budget. On a $500,000 balance, 0.25 percentage points equals roughly $1,250 of annual interest at an unchanged balance, or $104 monthly. Actual mortgage payments depend on amortization and contract terms. That’s a useful perspective. The rate announcement matters, but the employment report doesn’t promise a cut, and a small policy move won’t erase a large renewal increase.

BNS

Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX: BNS) offers dividend income, but it also lends to people and businesses affected by the economy. Lower rates can ease borrowers’ payments while changing what the bank earns relative to its funding costs. Scotiabank’s fiscal third-quarter adjusted return on equity reached 14.2%, compared with 12.4% a year earlier. That measures profit relative to shareholders’ equity and gives its turnaround a concrete result.

The current quarterly dividend was $1.14, or $4.56 annualized. At the October 9 close of $126.03, a $10,000 budget bought 79 shares for $9,956.37, generating $360.24 annually if the payment stayed unchanged. The annualized yield was about 3.62%.

Its strategy puts more emphasis on Canadian customer relationships while retaining international operations. That provides several earnings sources, but also means the bank’s results aren’t determined by Canada’s unemployment rate alone. For dividend investors, the practical issue is whether improving operating earnings can absorb credit losses. A dividend history doesn’t make unemployment irrelevant to the lender paying it.

Considerations

My judgment is to hold a measured bank position for its business progress and income, without making the purchase depend on a particular October 28 outcome. Rate changes can help one part of the business while pressuring another. Canadian consumer debt, slower loan demand, and international conditions remain risks. A weaker job market can take time to reach reported credit costs. Strong results from July don’t establish what customers will experience throughout the autumn.

An eligible Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) can shelter Canadian dividend income. Keeping emergency savings outside the long-term stock allocation is especially useful when employment uncertainty is rising. A bank holding should not become the household’s substitute for accessible cash.

The useful next evidence is the combination of inflation and lending results. Cooler inflation with manageable loan losses would support a different outlook from weaker jobs accompanied by persistent price pressure. The current report leaves both concerns visible.

Bottom line

September’s job losses make an October rate increase harder to justify, but high fuel prices prevent an automatic rate-cut conclusion. Scotiabank offers improving profitability and dividend income, with lending risk still present. Borrowers need a budget that works under several rate outcomes. Investors need earnings that survive more than one announcement.

The post Canada Lost 68,000 Jobs in September: The October 28 Rate Call Just Got Harder appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.

Picture a 25-year-old in Torontonian with her first paycheque, who wants to invest in the stock market. She opens her laptop, asks ChatGPT for recommendations, gets a dozen platform options, and soon closes all the tabs.

Opening a brokerage account for new Canadian stock market investors can be overwhelming, as you need to consider several factors, including account-opening fees, brokerage charges, and ease of use.

In this article, I explain how Canadian beginners can choose a brokerage account and what to look for.

Which registered account should a beginner open first?

Before you compare brokerages, ask yourself one simple question: why am I investing? Your answer decides which account you open first.

If you want flexibility, the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is your best first option. You can withdraw from your TFSA anytime, and any returns earned in the account are tax-free.

The Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) is ideal for retirement savings. It is a tax-deferred account where you can contribute up to 18% of the last year’s earned income, or up to $33,810 for 2026.

The First Home Savings Account (FHSA) is built for home buyers. You can add $8,000 a year, and up to $40,000 over your lifetime. Like RRSP contributions, the FHSA reduces your tax liability, and qualifying withdrawals are tax-free, like a TFSA.

The best Canadian brokerage platforms let you open all these accounts easily with a few clicks.

How do brokerage fees eat into your returns?

Brokerage costs rarely show up as a monthly expense, even though they apply to every trade. Make a checklist before you open a brokerage account.

• First is trading commissions. Several Canadian brokerages charge up to $10 per trade. So, if you invest $200 each month, a $10 fee could reduce your returns by 5%.
• Next are account fees, including annual fees, inactivity fees, or transfer-out fees. However, most brokerages waive the fees if your balance reaches a certain threshold.
• Finally, evaluate currency conversion rates if you want to buy U.S. stocks and ETFs. You could pay around 2% each time you buy or sell a stock south of the border.

Is your Canadian brokerage safe and regulated?

Confirm that the firm is a member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF). This membership protects client assets if a brokerage turns insolvent.

Also check that the firm is registered with the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO). Both take a minute to verify and are non-negotiables.

What brokerage features matter most to new investors?

Here’s what will appeal to new Canadian investors:

• An app and website you find easy to use
• Fractional shares or automatic recurring purchases
• Dividend reinvestment, which turns payouts into additional shares
• Simple research tools
• Support by phone or chat

What can Royal Bank of Canada teach beginners about investing?

Once your account is funded, the next step is to own quality stocks, such as the Royal Bank of Canada (TSX: RY).

In fiscal Q3 2026 (ended in July), RBC reported net income of $5.9 billion, up 11% year over year, while adjusted earnings grew 13% to $4.23 per share.

Over the last two decades, RBC stock has returned 1,100% to shareholders, including dividend reinvestment. So, a $1,000 investment in the blue-chip Canadian dividend stock in October 2006 would be worth close to $12,000 today.

Despite these outsized returns, it offers you a dividend yield of roughly 2.5% right now.

However, bank earnings are cyclical and depend on housing, consumer credit, and capital markets. To reduce risk, it’s essential to hold a portfolio of quality stocks in your brokerage account.

Picking a brokerage is less about finding a perfect option and more about avoiding costly mistakes. Get the account type right, keep fees low, and start with quality holdings you understand.

The post Brokerage Account Basics: What Canadian Beginners Should Look For appeared first on Seaside Success Stories.