Voyageur 158
Wealthsimple Opens the Betting Door, and Middle East Alerts Get Real Again.
News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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Wealthsimple Opens the Betting Door
Wealthsimple's new Predict app went live on Wednesday, and the first version comes with a wink (and a nod?). Canadians are only able to trade regulator-approved event contracts for now, mostly economic, climate and financial indicators, but the app still shows users some forbidden candy.
Canada's National Observer found markets for the 2028 U.S. election, possible Trump impeachment and the release date of Grand Theft Auto VI, with a note saying those markets are restricted in Canada but users are allowed to follow along.
Clients may want to keep an eye on the most-traded global markets, but the Canadian wrinkle is that prediction markets are in a weird place between investing, gambling and derivatives, which is the sort of regulatory swamp that follows Canadian money abroad.
Read more: Canada's National Observer / Wealthsimple
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A photo from the old country:
Middle East Alerts Get Real (Again)
Iran hit Kuwait and Jordan on Thursday after another U.S. strike on Iran, putting the region back into that grim loop where one country's military move turns into everybody's travel problem.
The Globe and Mail reported that a strike in northern Kuwait killed one worker, and Jordan said its air defences shot down five Iranian missiles. No casualties were reported in Jordan. The fighting has also touched ships in Egypt and militia fire toward Saudi Arabia, which isn’t soothing news if your summer travel plans run through the Gulf.
Ottawa's travel page for Canadians in the region was last updated on July 27 and it tells Canadians to avoid all travel to Kuwait and Iran, avoid non-essential travel to Jordan, and to get in touch with Global Affairs Canada's emergency centre if they need help.
This is the practical side of foreign policy, as advisories change, flights get rescheduled, and insurance gets picky. Consular phone numbers might suddenly matter - make sure you’ve got one saved.
Read more: The Globe and Mail / Global Affairs Canada