The Tuesday news briefing: An at-a-glance survey of some top stories
Highlights from the news file for Tuesday, Feb. 7
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CANADA POSTS TRADE SURPLUS: Statistics Canada says the country posted back-to-back monthly trade surpluses for the first time since September 2014, boosted by higher prices for exports of oil and natural gas in December. But economists say the gain in energy prices hid some troubling weakness in non-energy exports. The overall trade surplus hit $923 million for the final month of 2016 after a surplus the previous month that was revised upward to $1 billion from an initial reading of $526 million. Thomson Reuters says economists had anticipated a surplus of $350 million for December. Jennifer Lee, a senior economist with BMO Capital Markets, says running surpluses will draw unwanted attention from the U.S., where President Donald Trump has made trade a key issue.
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