April 1-15, 2026

 2026-04-02

[Bnn Bloomberg Canada]: Oil surges, stocks fall following Trump speech: Stocks and bonds fell and oil surged again, after U.S. President Donald Trump dashed optimism that the war in the Middle East is nearing a swift resolution and that disruptions to energy flows will ease. S&P 500 futures dropped 1.2 per cent alongside a retreat in European and Asian benchmarks. Brent jumped eight per cent to more than US$109 a barrel after Trump used a prime-time address to pledge more aggressive action against Iran over the next two to three weeks and offered no concrete plans to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trade deficit jumps: Canada’s trade deficit widened to $5.7 billion in February − the largest shortfall since August – as imports reached a record high. Overall imports from the U.S. surged by 13.6 per cent, reaching the highest level since March 2025, when tariffs first came into effect. The increase was driven by higher gold and automotive imports. Exports to the U.S. increased to a lesser extent, rising by 4.4 per cent on higher shipments of passenger cars and light trucks. StatCan also revised its January trade data to a larger trade deficit of $4.2 billion that month.

Stellantis mulls building Chinese EVs in Ontario: Stellantis is exploring plans to build electric vehicles in Canada with Chinese partner Leapmotor, in what could become the first major Chinese auto investment since Ottawa eased tariffs earlier this year. Discussions are focused on Stellantis’ idled Brampton, Ont. plant, though talks remain early. However, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has voiced his concerns about the potential plan, saying the federal government shouldn’t allow the plan to proceed without Ontario-made parts. Bloomberg News first reported the potential plan, which was later confirmed by Unifor.

Blue-chip China trade mission: Canada’s Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has been joined by Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem and Bay Street executives in China. The Canadian delegation will be meeting with Chinese officials to build on the diplomatic reset that occurred earlier this year. The group includes the chief executives of Manulife and Sun Life, and the vice-chair of BMO Wealth. The talks are expected to include opportunities in financial services and healthcare.

Telecom downgrade: We’ll be watching shares of Canadian telecommunications stocks today after TD Cowen analyst Vince Valentini cut his recommendation on Rogers Communications, BCE and Telus to hold from buy, writing that recent strength has been due to investors seeking a safe haven during the war in Iran. “The data on key volume (population) and price drivers has been weak throughout Q1/26, but telco stocks have likely been supported by dividend yields and investors seeking safety from geopolitical uncertainties,” Valentini wrote in a note to clients. He added that aggressively low pricing seen late in the quarter is not fuelling volume growth, but rather churn and “negative repricing.” BCE is the parent company of BNN Bloomberg through its Bell Media division.