By MarketsFarm
WINNIPEG, March 12 (MarketsFarm) – The following is a glance at the news moving markets in Canada and globally.
– Canada added 259,000 jobs in February, posting the largest monthly increase since September 2020, according to Statistics Canada data. The jobs growth came in well above market expectations and helped the unemployment rate drop to 8.2 per cent from 9.4 per cent.
– United States President Joe Biden addressed the nation on Monday marking the first anniversary of COVID-19 lockdowns after signing in a US$1.9 trillion stimulus bill. Biden urged the country to remain vigilant in keeping the virus in check, but also struck a hopeful tone that some sense of normalcy could return by the country’s Independence Day on July 4.
– Italy is set to impose stricter pandemic restrictions, including a countrywide lockdown over the Easter weekend (April 3-5) that will see all non-essential business closed for the weekend. COVID-19 case numbers have been on the rise in Italy in recent weeks as new variants of the virus take hold.
