Westons agreed to buy Boots for US$8.9 billion as stocks fell from records and the 10-year Treasury yield hit a 2002 high.
year Treasury yield hit a 2002 high.
Westons agreed to buy Boots for US$8.9 billion as stocks fell from records and the 10-year Treasury yield hit a 2002 high.

Markets are under pressure as rising oil prices, higher bond yields, and renewed tariff uncertainty weigh on risk appetite. The TSX is down 0.24%, while the TSX Venture Index is lower by 1.15%, reflecting broad caution across Canadian equities. In the U.S., the Dow is slightly lower and the Nasdaq is down 1.42%, as AI stocks try to hold up against a wider pullback in growth names. London’s FTSE 100 is the outlier, rising 0.35%.

Commodities are mixed but energy is driving the macro tone. WTI crude is up 3.38% as oil strength adds pressure to yields and inflation expectations, while copper and gold are both lower. Natural gas is modestly higher. Bitcoin is down 0.53% in Canadian-dollar terms, while investors also watch last-minute Canada-U.S. talks aimed at avoiding Trump’s proposed 50% tariffs.

Market numbers

TSX: Down (‑0.24%) 36,578.15

TSXV: Down (‑1.15%) 953.06

DOW: Down (‑0.07%) 53,405.8

NASDAQ: Down (‑1.42%) 29,559.3

FTSE 100: Up (+0.35%) 10,762.96

In the headlines

  • Sandisk jumps as Anthropic momentum lifts memory demand: Sandisk (NDAQ:SNDK), the flash memory and storage technology company, rose as Anthropic’s revenue run rate accelerated sharply, reinforcing the case for stronger AI-driven demand across memory and data infrastructure. Investors continue to focus on storage bottlenecks as AI workloads scale.
  • SpaceX gains as major institutions disclose stakes: SpaceX (NDAQ:SPCX), the aerospace, satellite, and launch company led by Elon Musk, climbed after Harvard, Nvidia, and Norway disclosed positions in the stock. The move signals continued institutional interest despite recent volatility in the post-IPO trade.

Currencies

USD: Down (‑0.01%) $0.7202

GBP: Up (+0.02%) $0.5319

EUR: Down (‑0.04%) $0.62218

JPY: Up (+0.06%) ¥115.002

AUD: Down (‑0.14%) $1.0127

Bitcoin (BTC/CAD): Down (‑0.53%) 89,006.1

(Conversion to C$1)

Commodities

Copper: Down (‑1.30%) 6.60714

Gold: Down (‑0.56%) 4,391.99

WTI: Up (+3.38%) 84.10

Natural Gas: Up (+0.59%) 2.719

To stay up-to-date on all of your market news head to Stockhouse.com.

Join the discussion: Find out what everybody’s saying about Sandisk and SpaceX on August 18th, 2026, on Stockhouse’s stock forums and message boards.


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