New Brunswick focus on balancing books before paying down debt:minister + MORE Oct 1st

FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s finance minister says the government needs to focus on balancing the books before it can begin paying down the province’s net debt.
Roger Melanson spoke Thursday following the release of the 2014-15 audited financial statements Wednesday.
The statements showed last year’s deficit was $388.6 million — $2.5 million lower than expected.
Melanson says revenues were up by $304 million dollars, but there were also $301.5 million in unexpected expenses.
He says the biggest expense was $229 million for the conversion of the teachers’ pension plan to a shared-risk and targeted benefit plan.
New Brunswick’s net debt is now $12.4 billion, but Melanson says the budget needs to be balanced – something he says likely won’t happen over the next year. (CKHJ)
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Newly minted teen drivers can scare other drivers and their parents. And while finding the right insurance is essential, so is finding the right vehicle.
So the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put together a list of the safest cars for teen drivers that are still affordable for the Bank of Mom and Dad (or the Bank of Summer Jobs).
Teens should skip sleek two-seaters for the protection of bigger and heavier vehicles, says Anne McCartt, the Institute’s vice president for research.
They should also avoid high horsepower and opt for cars with electronic stability control, which helps drivers navigate curves and slippery roads.

This article originally appeared on Canadian Insurance Top Broker.
The post The best cars for newly licensed teens appeared first on MoneySense.

The Globe and MailLoonie jumps against US dollar, stock markets drop in morning tradingThe Chronicle JournalTORONTO — The Canadian dollar was up more than half a U.S. cent and stock markets retreated Thursday morning. The loonie traded at 75.53 cents US, up 0.60 of a U.S. cent from Wednesday's close. The S&P/TSX composite index was down 103.52 points …Loonie jumps against US dollar, stock markets dip in early tradingThe Daily Courier (subscription)CANADA STOCKS-TSX slides in choppy trading; energy rally loses steamReutersEnergy Sector Energizes TSXBaystreet.caall 18 news articles »

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Income investors looking for satisfactory yields from bonds are feeling like the rich relatives of Oliver Twist these days. They just want a little more, please. They can get it–and use some of the extra income to help the poor–if they turn to the admittedly riskier world of dividend stocks.
There are over 300 dividend stocks on the TSX that range from tiny energy firms to giant banks. If you sort all of them by yield, half pay their shareholders more than 3.78% and half pay less.
To get a better sense of the dividend market, I split the list of dividend stocks into 10 equal parts (called deciles). The yields that separate the groups from one and other are shown in the accompanying table and they’re called breakpoints.

Canadian Dividend Yield Breakpoints

Low
2
3
4
Middle
6
7
8
High

1.14%
1.71%
2.37%
3.08%
3.78%
4.56%
5.47%
6.68%
8.47%

Data Source: Bloomberg, Sept…

MONTREAL – Shares in Montreal-based Amaya (TSX:AYA) were soaring Thursday on news that the world’s largest online poker business is once again being allowed to operate in the United States as a result of a deal with authorities in New Jersey.
“We are very pleased to add New Jersey to the long list of regulated markets that have found PokerStars and Full Tilt suitable to offer real-money online gaming,” said Amaya chairman and CEO David Baazov.
He said the approval, under an agreement with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, was granted after a detailed review of the company’s business, including sworn interviews from more than 70 individuals and visits to several international jurisdictions.
On the Toronto Stock Exchange, Amaya shares were up nearly 16 per cent at $28.15 in afternoon trading.
New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada are the only U.S. states to permit online gaming. But other states, including Pennsylvania and California, have looked at joining the list, offering a huge potential opportunity for Amaya…