BxB Invests
Welcome back to The Weekly Edge — your sharp, no-nonsense guide to what’s actually moving markets this week. If last week felt like trying to read a chess board mid-earthquake, you weren’t wrong. Geopolitical fires, a critical inflation print, a Canadian housing market limping under tariff weight, and a crypto market quietly maturing while nobody was watching — it’s been a full week, and we’ve got every thread untangled for you below.
This is investing in 2026: macro volatility meets sectoral opportunity. Canada is navigating its most complex trade environment in decades while simultaneously trying to build a sovereign economic identity beyond its southern neighbour. As the Bank of Canada holds at 2.25% and investors wait on the Fed’s next move, here are the five stories you absolutely cannot afford to ignore heading into Q2.
Pour yourself something strong. Let’s get into it.
— The BxB Invests Editorial Team
The Numbers That Matter This Week
Strait of Hormuz Jitters Send Brent on a Wild Ride — and Canada Pays Attention
Global oil markets had a white-knuckle morning this week as geopolitical risk surrounding the Strait of Hormuz rattled energy traders. Brent crude briefly surged to roughly $103–$104 per barrel before retreating toward $97–$98, representing an intraday swing of approximately $6–$7 per barrel, as markets weighed potential shipping disruptions through one of the world’s most critical energy corridors.
For Canadian investors, the implications run deep. Alberta’s energy sector — already battling softer baseline prices — is both a beneficiary of price spikes and a victim of volatility-driven capex hesitancy. The energy sector is expected to continue supporting growth in 2026 in Alberta, but softer oil prices will likely slow the pace of new drilling and capital spending.
Stocks to watch: Suncor Energy (SU.TO), Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ.TO), Advantage Energy (AAV.CA) — maintained at Buy by both TD Securities and Scotiabank — and Strathcona Resources (SCR.CA), freshly initiated at Buy with a $40 price target by Roth Capital.
Tech Giants Go All-In on AI Infrastructure — And Canada Wants a Seat at the Table
Major technology firms announced new multi-billion-dollar spending plans for AI chips, cloud infrastructure, and advanced computing networks, reinforcing what is becoming the defining capital expenditure story of the decade. Demand for AI computing power is driving a new wave of hyperscale data center construction across North America, Europe, and Asia.
For Canadian investors, this is more than a Silicon Valley tale. Canada’s stock market should benefit as artificial intelligence adoption broadens from the builders of the technology to the consumers, amplifying efficiency across industries. Large-scale tax incentives for private investment in Canada’s budget are expected to accelerate AI diffusion and support long-term growth.
Smart money is focusing on semiconductor manufacturers, cloud computing providers, data center infrastructure, and cybersecurity firms — because AI runs on infrastructure, and owning the shovel in a gold rush is often safer than chasing gold.
Bitcoin’s Quiet Revolution: From Speculative Bet to Institutional Staple
Bitcoin and other digital assets advanced this week as institutional investors continue to expand exposure to the crypto sector. But the real story isn’t the price action — it’s the architecture being built underneath it.
Stablecoins sit at $310 billion today, more than doubling market cap since 2023, expanding for 25 months in a row, as digital finance quietly reshapes the global payments landscape. Meanwhile, ten major banks are reportedly in early stages of exploring a consortium stablecoin pegged to G7 currencies — a development that could fundamentally legitimize crypto’s role in institutional finance.
One of the quiet revolutions of 2026 is real-world asset tokenization. Real estate is being fractionally owned on blockchain rails. Bonds are being issued in digital formats for faster settlement. Commodities are being represented as tradable digital tokens. For Canadian investors, regulated crypto ETFs now traded on the TSX offer exposure without custody risk.
Canada’s Housing Market Is Caught in a Tariff Trap — But Not Without Opportunity
The Canadian housing market entered 2026 in what experts are calling a “subdued but not surrendered” state. Demand from buyers is expected to “remain below historical averages,” with elevated price-to-income ratios, high carrying costs, and lingering job uncertainty keeping many buyers on the sidelines, according to the CMHC’s 2026 housing market outlook.
Nationally, 36,186 homes were sold in January 2026 on a seasonally adjusted basis, down 5.8% from December 2025 and 12.5% below last year’s level. Annual benchmark declines remain most pronounced in Ontario at –7.0% and British Columbia at –4.9%. Retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum, glass, and major appliances are driving up building material costs, causing developers to delay or scrap new projects.
Globally, CBRE’s forecast calls for a 16% increase in commercial real estate investment in 2026, reaching $562 billion. Canadian REITs with industrial and logistics exposure — such as Allied Properties and Dream Industrial — remain structurally more resilient than their office-heavy peers.
Gold Marches Toward $3,500, Canadian Banks Stay Bullish, and Healthcare Quietly Compounds
Three sectors — financials, gold, and healthcare — are doing the quiet, unglamorous work of portfolio protection in 2026, and investors ignoring them are leaving significant money on the table.
Gold is one of the strongest major assets this year, with analysts expecting momentum to carry it toward $5,000 in the longer term. Canadian materials stocks like Barrick Mining (ABX.TO) remain compelling given gold’s geopolitical safe-haven demand shows no sign of abating. The expectation that interest rates will remain at current low levels bodes well for the financial sector throughout 2026.
Materials and financials — the TSX’s two largest sectors — are expected to have another strong year, together making up about half of the entire market. On healthcare: VitalHub Corp (VHI.CA) had its price target raised by ATB Cormark, maintaining an Outperform rating, as health-tech becomes one of the TSX’s most consistent compounders.
🍁 Ottawa Bets Big While Markets Watch
On March 3, the Government of Canada launched calls for proposals for the $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund and the $1 billion Arctic Infrastructure Fund, signalling it is serious about reducing dependence on the U.S. as Canada’s primary trading partner. These are not small bets — they represent a structural pivot toward building sovereign trade infrastructure.
Canada retains a structural advantage as one of the lowest effective tariff rate holders among U.S. trading partners, positioning the country to capture greater trade share as supply chains normalize. For long-term investors, this is the quiet macro tailwind that could power Canadian industrials, ports, and materials stocks through the rest of the decade.
Among Canadian institutional investors, technological change and the private market environment were ranked the most favourable investment factors for 2026, with 81% of respondents expecting it to be a particularly good year for private markets despite rising geopolitical tensions.
The Bank of Canada is expected to hold rates steady at 2.25%, while the Fed has limited room to cut below its estimated neutral level of about 3.5%, given resilient U.S. growth and persistent inflation pressures. This rate differential continues to pressure the Canadian dollar, creating a double-edged sword for export-oriented businesses and commodity plays.
Bottom line: Canada is building for a post-tariff world. Those who position now in infrastructure, materials, and domestic financial services may look very smart in 24 months.
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DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is published by BxB Invests for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing contained herein constitutes financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. The information provided reflects publicly available sources and the editorial opinions of the BxB Invests team as of the publication date. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Always consult a registered financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Sources cited include: Reuters, The Globe and Mail, Morningstar Canada, CMHC, CREA, Benefits Canada, Pantera Capital, VanEck, TD Economics, CBRE, and WOWA.ca. All data as of market close March 10–11, 2026.
