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The unofficial end of summer is upon us. As Labour day approaches, the CNE is in full swing and the kids are getting ready to return to school, we count down the last remaining weeks of summer.
The markets in August were busy and loaded with mixed information. From mostly positive economic earnings reports to official escalation in the long standing Canada-US trade war, it has been a busy month to watch. The markets in NY showed positive gains, the S&P500 was positive by 2.48% for August, bringing 2026 returns to 12.12%. The NASDAQ jumped 3.65% for August, climbing to 13.16% for 2026 gains. While at home, the TSX gained 2.72% for the month, boosting 2026 returns to 14.1% thus far.
In Canada, the big news came from the seesaw of the trade negotiations with the USA. As talks have broken down after what appeared to be an iminnent deal, tariffs have been increased on both sides of the border. We also had earnings reported by the big 6 banks, which were all glowingly positive. While billions of dollars was still set aside for bad loans that will go bad, this number finally reduced in this quarter. The other key items to see, were increased profits and increased dividend payouts from some banks.
Gold prices have resumed a climb to recover some of the second quarter losses after touching all time highs in January 2026. This combined with higher oil prices after additional fighting in Iran and the strait of Hormuz threatened oil supply once again, gave a boost to the TSX resource heavy market.
Have a safe and happy Civic Holiday weekend!
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