📈Trade, Bitcoin and AI Drive Market Focus

📈Trade, Bitcoin and AI Drive Market Focus

Markets navigated another eventful week as Canada-U.S. trade negotiations, renewed momentum in cryptocurrency markets, and strong AI-linked earnings shaped investor sentiment. Trade officials continued working toward an agreement that could ease tariffs on key Canadian industries, while Bitcoin surged above $70,000 amid renewed momentum around U.S. crypto regulation. At the same time, AI-related investments continued contributing to corporate earnings growth, reinforcing the technology's growing influence across financial markets.

Stay sharp with B-TV’s latest feature.

Visit www.b-tv.com for exclusive updates and breaking news, helping you make informed investment decisions before the rest of the market catches on.

Let’s see where the markets take us next.

4 Minute Read:

Here's how some major markets/indexes performed in the last 5-days:

• Dow Jones: 53,202.48 (-0.86%)
• Nasdaq 100: 29,298.68 (-2.83%)
• TSX: 36,584.90 (-0.28%)
• BTC: 77,273.81
• GOLD: 4,624.22
• SILVER: 69.61

(USD)

As of 08/21/2026 at 11:47 AM PST

Tariff Relief Could Reshape Canada-U.S. Trade

Catch Up

Beyond the immediate negotiations, investors are watching what a broader trade agreement could mean for Canadian businesses and consumers. Both countries have economic incentives to reduce barriers and restore more predictable cross-border trade.

What Happened

• Existing U.S. tariffs have placed pressure on Canadian steel, aluminum, and automotive exports.
• A potential agreement could reduce some of these rates while addressing Canadian restrictions on certain U.S. products.
• The discussions come as businesses on both sides of the border seek greater clarity around future trade conditions.

Why It Matters

Canada and the U.S. maintain deeply connected manufacturing, energy, agricultural, and consumer markets. Reducing trade barriers could improve business confidence and capital spending while giving investors greater visibility into industries heavily dependent on cross-border commerce.

AI Investments Supercharge Corporate Earnings

Catch Up

Artificial intelligence continues having an outsized impact on corporate America, with gains from AI-related investments contributing significantly to second-quarter earnings growth across the S&P 500.

What Happened

• Aggregate S&P 500 earnings increased approximately 52% year over year during the second quarter.
• Technology sector profits climbed 74%, helped by investment gains tied to privately held AI companies.
• Even excluding these gains, S&P 500 earnings increased roughly 33%, representing the strongest quarterly improvement since 2021.

Why It Matters

AI is increasingly influencing corporate results through both operating growth and rising valuations of private technology investments. While these investment gains can fluctuate, underlying earnings growth remains strong, reinforcing the broader role AI infrastructure and adoption continue playing across the market.

Bitcoin Surges as Crypto Regulation Returns to Focus

Catch Up

Bitcoin climbed back above $70,000 this week as investors responded to renewed momentum around U.S. cryptocurrency regulation. The rally followed a White House meeting with crypto industry executives and a push to move the CLARITY Act forward.

What Happened

• Bitcoin gained roughly 11% over two days, reaching its highest level since June.
• President Donald Trump urged Congress to advance the CLARITY Act following discussions with crypto industry leaders.
• The proposed legislation aims to establish clearer rules around how digital assets are regulated in the United States.

Why It Matters

Regulatory uncertainty has long been one of the biggest challenges facing digital assets. A clearer U.S. framework could encourage greater institutional participation and investment across the sector, although the legislation still faces hurdles before becoming law. For investors, Bitcoin's latest rally shows how quickly regulatory developments can influence sentiment across crypto markets.

Learn more ➤

Harvest Launches a New Approach to Gold Investing: Harvest ETFs has launched the Harvest Premium Yield Gold ETF (TSX: HPYG), offering investors exposure to gold alongside a strategy designed to generate monthly income. HPYG combines exposure to physical gold bullion and gold equities with an active covered call strategy, providing another way for investors to participate in the long-term gold theme while adding an income component to their portfolios.

Learn more ➤

HIVE Builds for the Next Generation of AI Infrastructure

(TSX: HIVE, NASDAQ: HIVE)

HIVE Digital Technologies is expanding beyond digital asset mining as it builds high-performance computing infrastructure for the growing AI economy. Leveraging its experience operating large-scale data centres and access to renewable energy, HIVE is positioning its Canadian operations to support increasing demand for GPU computing and AI workloads as power availability becomes an increasingly valuable infrastructure advantage.

📬 That’s a wrap for this week!

Want more? Visit www.b-tv.com and subscribe for breaking updates, company features, and actionable insights straight from the market’s front lines.

What sector are you interested in? BTV wants to know! Send your thoughts here!

Looking forward to hearing from you!