“Canadian governments are doing some heavy lifting these days, directly supporting a still-vulnerable economy and essentially taking up slack left by cautious private sector participants,” it noted.

As a result, government budget deficits are growing, and borrowing needs are rising too, it said.

“Collectively, Canadian governments (federal, provincial, local) borrowed roughly $50 billion in Q3,” the report said — adding that government borrowing amounts to more than 6% of GDP on an annualized basis.

This abundance of new government debt is being supported by foreign investors once again, it also noted.  

“Last year, [foreign investors] hoovered up [federal government] debt at an unprecedented pace, taking down…

Lidar company Luminar has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after months of layoffs, executive departures, and a legal fight with its largest customer, Volvo.

The company aims to sell off its lidar business during the bankruptcy proceeding, and has already reached a deal to sell its semiconductor subsidiary. While the company will continue to operate during the bankruptcy process to “minimize disruptions” for its suppliers and customers, Luminar will eventually cease to exist once it’s completed.

“After a comprehensive review of our alternatives, the board determined that a court-supervised sale process is the best path forward,” Paul Ricci, Luminar’s CEO said in a statement. “As we navigate this…

The colder weather has begun to bite, and with it, the unwelcome rise in heating costs as people try and stay warm.

Millions of people across the UK are struggling with the high-price of energy this year, as the rising cost of living makes this Christmas a difficult one for many.

There are many avenues of support available for those looking to reduce costs this winter, but one of the lesser-known options comes from energy providers themselves.

Under Ofcom rules, all major energy companies must offer support to struggling customers, with many schemes on offer. This ranges from…

Monthly Digital Access

Fiercely independent and pro-consumer information on personal finance.

30-day online access to the magazine articles published during the subscription period.

Access is given for all articles published during the week (starting Monday) your subscription starts. For example, if you subscribe on Wednesday, you will have access to articles uploaded from Monday of that week.

This means access to other articles (outside the subscription period) are not included.

Articles outside the subscription period can be bought separately for a small price per article.

…