The Peak Daily

The Peak / Curiouscast
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Dec 13, 2022 • 10min

Pickleball 🏸 — Pickleball is trying to make it big. More bad news in crypto. Canadian household debt isn’t looking good.

Could the sport that finally breaks the ranks of the Big Four North American Leagues really be one that’s named after a briny, preserved vegetable?If you thought things couldn’t get worse for the crypto world, this week may force you to think again.Seven interest rate hikes later, personal finances have seen better days.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 12, 2022 • 9min

Slow slopes ⛷️ — Bitcoin miners are leaving Canada. The slopes are going to be busy this year. And retailers want you to spend.

Québec became a destination for crypto mining, a practice often criticized for its high energy use, by boasting some of North America’s cheapest energy prices. But now, Hydro-Québec has asked the province for permission to reallocate energy to other projects, per *The Wall Street Journal.*According to Deloitte Canada, the average household will spend $1,520 this year on the holidays, 17% less than in 2021, as Canadians brace for economic headwinds.Important news for skiiers and snowboarders: If you’re planning to shred some pow’ over the holidays, chances are you’ll have a lot of company.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 9, 2022 • 8min

Giving less 🎁 — Canadians are giving less. Developing countries face a debt crisis. And the government is changing foreign investment rules.

The holiday season has always been a time for opening our hearts and wallets to charity, but this year, more Canadians are cutting giving out of the budget as they try to conserve cash.A dozen developing countries might spin into a debt crisis within the next year, spelling financial trouble for some of the world’s most vulnerable people, per The New York Times.The government is looking to implement new rules under the Investment Canada Act that would require foreign actors to give advanced notice of investments in sectors deemed as “sensitive” and subject those investments to conditions from Canada’s industry minister.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 8, 2022 • 9min

Vertical farm 🌾 — BoC hikes rates again. GoodLeaf aims big in vertical farming. And Canada is hoping for more critical minerals.

We’ve come a long way since the 8.1% inflation rate seen in June (a near four-decade high), but if you ask the Bank of Canada (BoC), the economy still has some way to go.GoodLeaf, a Guelph-based indoor farm, raised $150 million from McCain and the investing arm of Quebec insurer Power Corp to expand its greens into a national brand.Canada has invested billions into the critical minerals mining sector this year with grand ambitions to become a major player in the global supply chain for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 7, 2022 • 10min

New league ⚽️ — Big departures at Salesforce. There’s a new women’s soccer league coming to Canada. And COP15 kicks off.

A corporate one-two punch has left the executive bench at Salesforce looking a bit empty.After the Canadian men flamed out of the World Cup, a new group is trying to keep soccer fever alive and well with a focus on Canada’s (historically way better) women players.The UN’s COP15 biodiversity conference commences today in Montreal with over 10,000 participants set to discuss how to protect and increase the world’s plant and animal life.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 6, 2022 • 10min

Yield curve ↪️ — Circle isn’t IPO-ing. Canada has an inverted yield curve. And rental car customers were getting arrested.

Stablecoin group Circle has abandoned its plans to go public, one of the first signs that the fall of crypto exchange FTX is starting to hit even digital assets regarded as the least risky.Folks, Canada’s got a serious case of the ol’ [“inverted yield curve.”](https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/yield-curve-inversion-hits-widest-in-canada-since-early-1990s-1.1854997#:~:text=The yield on Canada's benchmark,Toronto time.)Former meme stock darling Hertz doled out US$168 million to settle 364 claims that it falsely reported rental cars as stolen when they just weren’t returned on time.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 5, 2022 • 9min

Writing bot ✍️ — There’s a new AI writing tool. Xi Jinping acknowledges protests. Volkswagen looks for EV battery manufacturing site.

OpenAI (the lab behind the AI-powered DALL-E image generator) launched its new AI chatbot ChatGPT to the public as part of its beta test.China’s President Xi Jinping has publicly acknowledged the protests that have erupted across the country in response to the government’s strict anti-Covid measures.Volkswagen is setting its sights on Canada for a new electric vehicle (EV) battery factory after a recently signed agreement effectively added the country to a shortlist of potential locations for its North American expansion.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 2, 2022 • 9min

Brain chips 💻 — Chips for your brain. The banks are doing well. And LinkedIn has new features.

Elon Musk took a quick break from social media stardom to shift back to mad scientist mode, claiming that chips will start being implanted into human brains in as little as six months.You won’t be surprised to hear that Canada’s big banks are raking in cash during a positive earnings season, but some are doing unusually well and have higher interest rates to thank.These days you can’t answer your phone or open your email without being bombarded by scams, but LinkedIn is determined to make sure you can still confidently accept that invitation to join your colleague’s professional network without the same concerns.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Dec 1, 2022 • 11min

Spotify wrapped 🎶 — Streamers are looking to theatres for help. Mexicans are moving to Canada. And workers are going back into the office.

Happy Spotify Wrapped Day to all who celebrate! And apologies to all who don’t (hey there, Apple Music users) because your Insta stories are about to give you some major FOMO.Tough economic times mean that consumers have to take a good, hard look at what they buy, limiting purchases to only the essentials like groceries, rent, and… snowmobiles?Financial responsibility is becoming more attractive as cheap dates are the latest dating trend.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.
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Nov 30, 2022 • 10min

Bank buyer 🏦 — RBC buys HSBC. Nestlé is rethinking its drug plans. And the police are using 23andMe to solve crimes.

RBC is already the country’s largest bank by assets ($1.71T), but just because you’re the biggest doesn’t mean you can’t get even bigger by buying HSBC.Nestlé isn’t the first company that comes to mind when you think of Big Pharma. And considering how their rollout of a new allergy drug is going, it’ll probably stay that way.While you’re using DNA testing services to explore your neanderthal ancestry, the police are using the same data to solve crimes.Celebrating something? Let us know here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/MNdYA3TOThe Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.

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