{"id":918881,"date":"2026-10-07T02:24:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T02:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/918881\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T02:24:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T02:24:09","slug":"news-of-the-day-trade-surplus-doubles-powerhouse-merger-snowbird-tax-exemption-canadian-pension-plans-federal-budgets-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/918881\/","title":{"rendered":"News of the day: Trade surplus doubles, powerhouse merger, snowbird tax exemption, Canadian pension plans, federal budgets and more"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/02185a5c629817942e0cef5467c016d19754ec87f677f9ca4984558cc16efcd7\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefit_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffinancial_post_articles_610%2F3ad3c1fb9d217ed3e56b3e40a13fe2a7.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"border-trade-0=1006-ph\" height=\"720\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-1f8hkhu loader\"\/><\/a> Trucks line up to cross the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor to Detroit. (Credit: Don McArthur\/Postmedia)               <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">It&#8217;s Tuesday, Oct. 6. Here are the top stories we&#8217;re following today.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/news\/economy\/canada-trade-surplus-u-s-surges-ahead-tariffs\" data-ylk=\"slk:Canada&#039;s%20trade%20surplus%20with%20U.S.%20nearly%20doubles%20to%20%2411.2%20billion;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Canada&#039;s trade surplus with U.S. nearly doubles to $11.2 billion&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Canada&#8217;s trade surplus with U.S. nearly doubles to $11.2 billion<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Canada&#8217;s trade surplus with the United States grew to $11.2 billion in August from $6.1 billion in July, the largest positive monthly change since 1997, as exports surged ahead of the implementation of U.S. Section 338 levies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/news\/economy\/canada-trade-surplus-u-s-surges-ahead-tariffs\" data-ylk=\"slk:Read%20the%20story;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Read the story&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Read the story<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/0479311ffe7826b52c97d64e0d709e8cffdeff7ac079ac3a057f740bdfce29a5\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefit_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffinancial_post_articles_610%2Fe347e8056f054aaa6613ce809602268c.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"The corporate headquarters of Emera Inc. and Nova Scotia Power on the Halifax waterfront.\" height=\"720\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-1f8hkhu loader\"\/><\/a> The corporate headquarters of Emera Inc. and Nova Scotia Power on the Halifax waterfront.           <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/commodities\/energy\/emera-canadian-utilities-72-billion-merger-equals\" data-ylk=\"slk:Emera%20and%20Canadian%20Utilities%20to%20merge%20into%20%2472-billion%20powerhouse;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Emera and Canadian Utilities to merge into $72-billion powerhouse&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Emera and Canadian Utilities to merge into $72-billion powerhouse<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Emera Inc. and Canadian Utilities Ltd. have announced a merger that would form a combined company valued at $72 billion and serve six million customers across Canada, the United States and international markets.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/commodities\/energy\/emera-canadian-utilities-72-billion-merger-equals\" data-ylk=\"slk:Read%20the%20story;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Read the story&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Read the story<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/7c7285ac4264aabcdaf63ece1d9d36b8170847668b810e4094a174d0c132f199\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefit_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffinancial_post_articles_610%2Fbfeb07df2f84efe89064ebf28ae38936.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"Condo buildings line the beach April 5, 2016 in Sunny Isle, Fla. Property taxes are only one part of an increasingly expensive calculation for Canadians who own or are considering buying a home in Florida.\" height=\"720\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-1f8hkhu loader\"\/><\/a> Condo buildings line the beach April 5, 2016 in Sunny Isle, Fla. Property taxes are only one part of an increasingly expensive calculation for Canadians who own or are considering buying a home in Florida.           <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/real-estate\/florida-tax-changes-exclude-snowbirds\" data-ylk=\"slk:&#039;I%20don&#039;t%20want%20to%20give%20Canadians%20a%20tax%20cut&#039;%3A%20Florida&#039;s%20proposed%20property%20tax%20exemption%20expected%20to%20exclude%20snowbirds;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;&#039;I don&#039;t want to give Canadians a tax cut&#039;: Florida&#039;s proposed property tax exemption expected to exclude snowbirds&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">&#8216;I don&#8217;t want to give Canadians a tax cut&#8217;: Florida&#8217;s proposed property tax exemption expected to exclude snowbirds<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Canadian snowbirds could be left out of a major property tax break being proposed in Florida, but the constitutional amendment set to go before voters next month could also give them some protection from rising property assessments.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/real-estate\/florida-tax-changes-exclude-snowbirds\" data-ylk=\"slk:Read%20the%20story;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Read the story&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Read the story<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/acd0bf9624b5c62fecb934ee1d252f42a2ca49935a4dd14a3e98643799520fdc\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefit_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffinancial_post_articles_610%2Fda6b5d7b07c7b503fbdc116329bf7b43.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"A global poll of 430 portfolio managers released by Marsh at the end of September said Canadian asset owners were leading the way in cutting exposure to U.S. equities.\" height=\"720\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-1f8hkhu loader\"\/><\/a> A global poll of 430 portfolio managers released by Marsh at the end of September said Canadian asset owners were leading the way in cutting exposure to U.S. equities.           <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/personal-finance\/canadian-pension-plans-healthiest-ever-higher-interest-rates\" data-ylk=\"slk:Canadian%20pension%20plans%20are%20the%20healthiest%20ever%20thanks%20to%20higher%20interest%20rates%2C%20says%20report;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Canadian pension plans are the healthiest ever thanks to higher interest rates, says report&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Canadian pension plans are the healthiest ever thanks to higher interest rates, says report<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Higher interest rates more than compensated for stock market losses to help lift the solvency of Canadian defined-benefit pension plans to a record level, says a new report from Marsh &amp; McLennan Companies Inc.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/personal-finance\/canadian-pension-plans-healthiest-ever-higher-interest-rates\" data-ylk=\"slk:Read%20the%20story;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Read the story&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Read the story<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/0a719b6d4932cb9f4833314f41d4a2931d81c8c70599deb634c0151ed3581c50\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefit_w960%3Bquality_80%3Bformat_webp\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Ffinancial_post_articles_610%2F161713b7fea53ddae921d969ca36f2dd.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" alt=\"Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to media in Fort McMurray, Alta., announcing that the Pacific Link pipeline has been listed as a project of national interest, on Oct. 1, 2026.\" height=\"720\" width=\"960\" class=\"yf-1f8hkhu loader\"\/><\/a> Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to media in Fort McMurray, Alta., announcing that the Pacific Link pipeline has been listed as a project of national interest, on Oct. 1, 2026.           <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/personal-finance\/dont-treat-personal-finances-government-treating-tax-dollars\" data-ylk=\"slk:Don&#039;t%20treat%20your%20personal%20finances%20like%20the%20government%20is%20treating%20your%20tax%20dollars;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Don&#039;t treat your personal finances like the government is treating your tax dollars&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Don&#8217;t treat your personal finances like the government is treating your tax dollars<\/a>  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\">Since the 2025 budget, the federal government has split its books into an operating budget and a capital budget and made balancing the operating budget by 2028-29 one of its key fiscal anchors. It&#8217;s an old accounting trick, writes Kim Moody.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"text text-block paragraph text-left neo-font-paragraph-xl-reg  yf-18d6y07\" style=\"text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; text-transform: none; text-align: inherit; font-variant-numeric: normal;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/personal-finance\/dont-treat-personal-finances-government-treating-tax-dollars\" data-ylk=\"slk:Read%20the%20story;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;source:content-canvas%20default\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Read the story&quot;,&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yTrafficOrigin&quot;:&quot;content-canvas default&quot;}\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Read the story<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trucks line up to cross the Ambassador Bridge from Windsor to Detroit. (Credit: Don McArthur\/Postmedia) It&#8217;s Tuesday, Oct.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":918882,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[1778,64,63,99,174,164,186,10346,5476,21130,10347,1603,21131,8792,184,185,5482,1003,1793,5473,10348,10349,2004,21132,4961,21133],"class_list":["post-918881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-personal-finance","tag-401k","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-business","tag-business-news","tag-economy","tag-finance","tag-financial-information","tag-investing","tag-investment-tools","tag-investor","tag-market-news","tag-mortgage","tag-mutual-funds","tag-personal-finance","tag-personalfinance","tag-quote","tag-real-estate","tag-retirement","tag-stock","tag-stock-research","tag-stock-valuation","tag-stocks","tag-suze-orman","tag-tax","tag-track-portfolio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/918881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=918881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/918881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/918882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=918881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=918881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=918881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}