Good morning mooers! Here are things you need to know about today's market:
● S&P/TSX 60 Index Standard Futures are trading at 1,488.60, down 0.24% from previous close
● Economists say Trump's tariff threat casts shadow on 2025 interest rate outlook
● Canadian Transportation Agency reported CPKC's grain revenue exceedance
● Loblaw and parent George Weston initiated automatic shar...

After a rebound in Canadian stocks in 2023, the Canadian stock market expanded its gains in 2024, with the S&P/TSX Composite Index YTD rising by 17.4% as of last weekend. Interest rate cuts in Canada since June have led to a rapid rise in local stocks, with technology stocks leading the way. New rounds of geopolitical conflicts have created uncertainty, particularly boosting mining stocks, especially gold stocks, to continue their ra...

As 2024 nears its end, we've witnessed inflation rates falling in major developed countries, with Canada's inflation rate dropping from 2.9% at the beginning of the year to 1.9%. This year, the Bank of Canada took the lead in cutting interest rates, followed by the Federal Reserve. The AI sector in North America continued its rally, driving Canadian tech stocks to soar.
■ How did each sector perform in 2024?
Among all sectors in Canada, t...

In Canada, five supermarket chains make up of nearly 75% of the retail grocery market, i.e. Loblaws, Costco, Walmart, Sobeys and Metro. While in big cities like Vancouver, Toronto, local grocers and grocers focusing on speciality food take shares in the retail grocery market, in other part of Canada, the big fives dominate. Because of the small market size of Canada and the difficulties of setting up new supply chains, it is very difficult for a n...

Analysts forecast Loblaw's and Metro's discount store expansion strategies will yield stronger financial results than Empire's deal-offering approach at existing locations. Loblaw's significant discount domain engagement is expected to outpace Metro and Empire in short-term positioning. Empire's full-service focus may underperform in tonnage trends due to less exposure to the rapidly growing discount segment.

Loblaw's Q4 results beat expectations, showing resilience amid economic pressures. Its focus on discount business, investment in stores and distribution centers, and planned share repurchases signal a positive outlook and financial confidence.