The Peak Daily
The Peak / Curiouscast
Fast Canadian business news. Get up-to-speed quick with a fun and smart breakdown of the three biggest Canadian and global business stories in less than 10 minutes.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 8, 2023 • 8min
Car privacy 🚗 — India opens its arms at this year’s G20. China takes a bite out of Apple. Cars are less private than a nude beach.
A who’s who of global leaders are landing in New Delhi as the annual G20 Summit starts tomorrow… or later today if you factor in the time difference.Imagine this: You’re a company, and your second-biggest market, which generates almost a fifth of your revenue, suddenly enacts a partial ban on your products.Cars are packed to the gills with technology these days, leading to various problems like production shortages, rampant theft, and now, major privacy concerns.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Sep 7, 2023 • 9min
Rates hold 💵 — Tiff holds rates but leaves the door open for hikes. Return to office… now. Streaming may get more lucrative for musicians.
The Bank of Canada held its policy interest rate steady at 5% yesterday, but don’t call it a pivot—they’re ready to hike again if that’s what it takes to whip inflation, and they want to make sure everyone knows it.As Labour Day fades from sight in the rearview mirror, more Canadian employers are telling, not asking, employees to return to the office for at least a few days of the week.For artists who don’t change the economic outlook of a city with a couple of concerts, some extra money from a new royalty deal could go a long way.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Sep 6, 2023 • 9min
China chips 💻 — Rise of the athlete influencer. Canada makes friends in the Indo-Pacific. China’s got chips too.
Athletes: They’re just like you and me. They eat, sleep, and are painfully aware of how many views their latest Instagram story is getting.At an international summit of Asian countries, the Prime Minister of Indonesia got a custom Team Canada basketball jersey, and Canada got a shiny new foreign partnership.As the US-China chip continues to run hot, a new smartphone has entered the chat.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Sep 5, 2023 • 9min
ChatGPT in the classroom 📚 — ChatGPT enters its freshman year. Feds urged to create disaster response force. As rents heat up, Germany wants a freeze.
It’s back to school for students across Canada, and teachers are preparing to contend with a new presence in the classroom that’s shaping up to be more disruptive than the class clown: Artificial intelligence.While Canadian troops have been used to fight unprecedented wildfires this summer, some say there’s a better solution.As renters start to echo the concerns of Jimmy McMillan (read: the rent is too damn high), some countries are taking measures to cool off hot rental prices.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Sep 1, 2023 • 10min
Arm the rebels 🛍️ — Canadian mortgages get bigger. Bots aren’t allowed. Shopify and Amazon team up.
Canadian mortgages are getting larger, causing financial challenges. Companies are struggling to block web scraping bots. Shopify and Amazon have become frenemies. OpenAI projects revenue of over $1 billion.
Aug 31, 2023 • 8min
Pasta shock 🍝 — One million residents short of estimates. Indigo asks, “Would you like some books with your wine?” Prepare for pasta sticker shock.
If your top skills include “counting, like, really high” then boy, does the government have a job for you.The newest location of Canada’s largest bookstore is set to offer a lot more than books.It might be time to cut back on the spaghetti carbonara… not because you need to watch the carbs, but to save on your grocery bill.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Aug 30, 2023 • 9min
AI at work 🛠️ — The AI battle for your office. Beat the high rent with an apartment swap. What’s the deal with Alert Ready?
Google and Microsoft battle it out to provide AI tools for offices. Montreal residents turn to apartment swapping to beat rising rental prices. Criticism of the Alert Ready system for emergency alerts on phones.
Aug 29, 2023 • 10min
Workers staying put 👷♀️ — The West grows wary of Chinese research. Canadian workers are staying put. Cybercrimes are trending up.
Geopolitical tensions strain academic relations; Canadian workers staying in their jobs; rise in cybercrimes predicted for 2024.
Aug 28, 2023 • 8min
New cities 🌆 — Entrepreneurs see opportunity in city-building. Researchers crack the Y chromosome code. How is Ozempic affecting Denmark’s economy?
Ever played SimCity and thought it might be fun to try your hand at creating a city from scratch in real life? You aren’t alone: A growing cohort of entrepreneurs backed by deep-pocketed financiers are giving it a whirl.A scientific breakthrough could shed light on some of the biggest threats facing men's health.How are scores of Americans trying to lose weight affecting Danish monetary policy? The answer isn’t as complicated as it may seem.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
Aug 25, 2023 • 8min
Nuclear water ☢️ — US intelligence weighs in on Russian warlord plane crash. Nvidia keeps cashing cheques. Japan’s nuclear controversy.
The exact causes of the plane crash believed to have killed Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin have not been found, but there are plenty of theories beyond bad turbulence.Like Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon this year, Nvidia’s recent performance has launched it into household name status.Today, in unsurprising news, dumping nuclear wastewater into the ocean is controversial.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TO
