Canada Jobless Rate Hits 3-Year High to 7.3 Percent
Montreal — Canada’s unemployment rate posted a surprise increase last month as the nation continues to struggle with the impact of lower oil prices. The unemployment rate climbed to 7.3 percent in February, the highest since March 2013, following a 7.2 percent rate a month earlier and up from as low 6.6 percent last year, Statistics Canada said Friday from Ottawa. Employers eliminated a net 2,300 jobs, including more than 50,000...
Money Talk: Deciding Which Loan to Pay Off
Question: I am going to pay off one of my daughter’s private student loans. One has a balance of $8,500 at 4 percent interest and the other is for $7,500 at 6 percent. Which one should I pay off? Answer: You have a lucky daughter, either way. In addition to balances and rates, the other variable you need to consider is whether the rates are fixed or adjustable. These days, many private student loans have fixed rates, but in the past...
Are You Saving Enough For Retirement?
Saving for retirement is no easy task, but a new study says you don’t need to be a Powerball winner to put away enough cash for old age. According to the study by Fidelity Investments, 45 percent of those surveyed in 2015 were on track to cover essential expenses during their retirement, up from 38 percent in 2013. Although that’s still less than half the population, the percentage is heading in the right direction. One reason: People...
Most Won’t Feel Fed Rate Increase
Washington — For anyone considering whether to buy a home or car, the Federal Reserve’s interest rate increase Wednesday shouldn’t make much difference. The rates that most people pay for mortgages, auto loans or college tuition aren’t expected to jump anytime soon. The Fed’s benchmark interest rate has limited influence on those things. Still, the Fed’s move to lift its key rate by a quarter-percentage point will raise short-term...
Jobs Data Ups Odds Of Hike
The U.S. job market has almost fully healed from the deep wounds of the Great Recession, raising expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin withdrawing its support for the recovery by the end of the year. Government data released Friday showed that the economy added a blockbuster 271,000 jobs in October — the highest amount this year and beyond analysts’ most optimistic forecasts. The unemployment rate dipped to 5 percent, and...
