HEADLINES
Canada's Unemployment Rate Steadies With Modest Recovery in Hiring
Canada saw a muted recovery in hiring last month, though with an equally modest expansion in the country's labor force the jobless rate was essentially unchanged.
Employers in the country added 14,100 jobs in March, holding the unemployment rate at 6.7%, the national data agency said.
The steadying of the job market comes after nearly 109,000 jobs were lost in the first two months of 2026, and leaves the unemployment rate just below the 6.8% where it ended last year and the recent peak of 7.1% in September, but still above January's 6.5%.
Bank of Canada Unlikely to Budge After Latest Jobs Data Labor Market Looks to Be Settling In For Now Jobs Report Offers Welcome Lack of Surprises
Corus Entertainment Second-Quarter Loss Narrows, Revenue Falls on Weak Ad Demand
Corus Entertainment's loss narrowed in its fiscal second quarter while television- and radio-advertising revenue continued their decline.
For the three months ended Feb. 28, the embattled Canadian media company posted a narrowed loss of C$6.08 million, or C$0.03 a share, compared with a loss of C$55.9 million, or C$0.28 a share, in the comparable quarter a year earlier.
Consolidated revenue fell 15% to C$230.2 million, below forecasts of C$235.2 million, with television revenue accounting for the lion's share of the decline.
Cogeco Communications Shares Slide as U.S. Telecom Competition Weighs on Revenue, Outlook
Cogeco Communications shares fell after the company cut its outlook, citing intensifying competition in its U.S. broadband business that is weighing more heavily on results than expected.
Shares fell nearly 8% to C$61.40.
The Canadian telecommunications company, which operates in the U.S. under the Breezeline brand, is caught in a competitive struggle with other national broadband providers that are vying for a bigger share of the market, often cutting prices in an effort to win over customers.
While Cogeco said late Thursday that internet subscriber trends are improving in the U.S., revenue pressure is running higher than the company expected, largely due to continued the pricing competition that hasn't let up. The company now expects revenue to fall between 2% and 4%, compared with a previous expectation of a 1% to 3% decline.
Cascades' Shares Down Following Cut to Outlook as Costs Rise, Packaging Demand Softens
Shares of Cascades fell after the company lowered its guidance, citing a convergence of external headwinds and internal execution issues curbing packaging volumes and weighing on first-quarter performance.
Shares fell 3.4% to C$10.69.
The packaging and tissue products company said that U.S. weather disruptions and volatile swings in transportation and fuel surcharges pushed operating costs higher, while recent geopolitical tensions dampened consumer confidence and spending, leading to softer packaging volumes.
Cascades Passing on Higher Prices to Customers to Counter Rising Costs
MTY Food Group First-Quarter Profit Rises, Sales Fall Amid Consumer Softness
MTY Food Group logged a rise in first-quarter profit, though a challenging consumer environment dragged on sales across its restaurant network, particularly in the U.S.
The company's stock fell 3.9% to C$38.85.
For the three months ended March 1, the Canadian restaurant franchiser and operator posted net income of C$36.9 million, or C$1.62 a share, up from C$1.7 million, or C$0.07 a share, in the comparable quarter a year ago.
Revenue fell to C$267.8 million from C$284.8 million, missing analyst forecasts of a less precipitous decline to C$273.1 million.
Cineplex Box Office Gets a March Boost From 'Project Hail Mary'
Cineplex saw a stronger March at the box office as moviegoers turned out for "Project Hail Mary."
The Canadian movie-theater chain said March box office revenue was C$52.4 million, up from C$29.5 million in March of the previous year.
Cineplex credits the success of Project Hail Mary, which helped drive what the company called its strongest first-quarter box office results since 2019.
Yangarra Resources Chairman Gordon Bowerman Dies
Gordon Bowerman, Yangarra Resources' long-time chairman, has died.
Bowerman was chairman of the Canadian oil and gas exploration and production company's board since 2001.
The company said it has begun a transition process and said it will provide updates in due course.
Baylin Technologies Settles Long-Standing Litigation with SpaceBridge
Baylin Technologies has settled its litigation with SpaceBridge over claims arising out of the company's acquisition of Advantech Wireless Technologies.
The case has dragged on for years, after Baylin Technologies, a Canadian wireless-technology company acquired Advantech in January 2018.
The settlement is being funded by payments to the parties out of an escrow fund established when the company was first acquired, and from which Baylin will be receiving cash as part of the settlement. No financial details were disclosed.
TALKING POINT
Copper Is a 'Peace' Commodity. Own These Miners in a Market Recovery.
By Paul R. La Monica, Barron's
As hopes grow for an end to the war in Iran, commodity analysts at Jefferies suggest that investors pivot to companies that could benefit from a pullback in oil prices and a pickup in global economic activity if the cease-fire becomes permanent. The best way to play a potential peace trade? Copper miners.
Copper prices are highly correlated to economic activity. The metal is a key component in many industrial and consumer electronics goods. And copper wiring is a critical part of data centers, meaning that the metal is benefiting from the explosion in demand for artifcial-intelligence technology.
As such, the Jefferies analysts said in a report Thursday that they recommend "tiptoeing back" to copper-and top miners such as recent Barron's stock pick Freeport-McMoRan, Anglo American, Teck Resources and First Quantum Minerals.
Copper mining stocks have already rebounded after taking a hit in March due to concerns about the war. Freeport-McMoRan, for example, is up nearly 15% in the past month and back near its highs for the year. But the Jefferies analysts still think there is more upside ahead.
"We would expect cyclical industrial metals to perform well on
a path to peace. Copper had underperformed due to its demand being highly sensitive to changes in economic growth," the Jefferies analysts said in the report, adding that the metal "should outperform if we have sustained de-escalation."
"[Copper] is basically a binary outcome with risk now skewed to the upside once again," the Jefferies analysts said. They think that copper prices, which are down slightly since the war began in late February, may not rebound immediately due to "elevated demand risk for the near-term," but they added they are "bullish over a 6+ month horizon, and risk to our estimates is to the upside."
Gold is another metal that could catch a bid if the economic picture improves, especially if the dollar strengthens a bit. Gold has been incredibly volatile as of late, pulling back after surging last year along with silver and some other precious metals.
The Jefferies analysts noted that gold, like copper, is a "peace" commodity that should benefit from a more stable backdrop for oil. Both commodities could do well compared with "war commodities" such as coal, aluminum and iron ore that have benefited from the recent turmoil in the Middle East.
Gold is a bit trickier than copper since it's more of a speculative bet and is not tied to industrial demand the way that copper is. Even silver has more uses than gold, as a component in solar panels, medical devices and electric vehicles, for example.
That being said, gold may have taken too big a hit in the first quarter of this year. Gold strategists at State Street Investment Management said in a recent report that "the oil price shock may be a temporary gold market headwind...but could exacerbate structurally bullish tailwinds in the medium term."
State Street said that as oil prices slide, worries about Fed rate hikes have diminished. That could mean that gold prices will start to climb again, especially if it regains its status as a haven investment in what are still uncertain times. The State Street strategists argue that gold, currently hovering around $4,800 an ounce, could climb back above $5,000 if oil prices fall to around $80 to $85 a barrel and stay there.
Another bullish sign for gold? State Street pointed out that China's central bank has been buying the dip in the metal, adding that this activity "illustrates gold as a global asset, underpinned by regional supply/demand dynamics and not just Fed policy or US risk sentiment."
If gold continues to rebound, that should bode well for top miners like Newmont, another 2026 Barrron's stock pick, as well. Newmont, like Freeport-McMoRan, has already started to make a comeback. Following a drop in early to mid March, the stock is up 6% in the past month.
So if you think that the war in Iran is nearing an end, keep an eye on copper, gold and the miners of those metals. They should continue to rally if there is more stability in the Middle East, especially if oil prices pull back further.
Write to Paul R. La Monica at [paul.lamonica@barrons.com]
Expected Major Events for Monday
12:30/CAN: Feb Building permits
14:00/US: Mar Existing Home Sales
23:01/UK: Mar BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor
All times in GMT. Powered by Onclusive and Dow Jones.
Expected Earnings for Monday
ASA Gold & Precious Metals Ltd $(ASA)$ is expected to report for 1Q.
ASP Isotopes Inc (ASPI) is expected to report $-0.17 for 4Q.
AstroNova Inc (ALOT) is expected to report for 4Q.
CASI Pharmaceuticals Inc (CASIF) is expected to report for 4Q.
CCA Industries Inc (CAWW) is expected to report for 1Q.
FB Financial Corp $(FBK)$ is expected to report $1.10 for 1Q.
Fastenal Co $(FAST)$ is expected to report $0.30 for 1Q.
Fastenal Co (FAST) is expected to report.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc $(GS)$ is expected to report $16.41 for 1Q.
Greenwich LifeSciences Inc $(GLSI)$ is expected to report for 4Q.
Hyperscale Data Inc (GPUS) is expected to report for 4Q.
Jewett-Cameron Trading Co Ltd (JCT-T,JCTC) is expected to report for 2Q.
KALA BIO Inc (KALA) is expected to report for 4Q.
New Fortress Energy Inc (NFE) is expected to report $-0.19 for 4Q.
Nicolet Bankshares Inc $(NIC)$ is expected to report $2.62 for 1Q.
Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd (NAK,NDM.T) is expected to report for 4Q.
Omnitek Engineering (OMTK) is expected to report for 4Q.
Oncotelic Therapeutics Inc (OTLC) is expected to report for 4Q.
PrimeEnergy Resources Corp $(PNRG)$ is expected to report for 4Q.
RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc $(RICK)$ is expected to report $0.58 for 1Q.
Royale Energy Inc (ROYL) is expected to report for 4Q.
Traws Pharma Inc (TRAW) is expected to report for 4Q.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 10, 2026 16:30 ET (20:30 GMT)
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