Canadians less confident in finances heading into 2016 + MORE Jan 5th

A majority of Canadians remain confident about their finances heading into 2016, but the percentage holding a positive view is down from a year ago, according to a new poll from one of the country’s big banks.
The CIBC (TSX:CM) poll found that more than two thirds of Canadians, or 69 per cent, felt positive about their finances going into the new year. Still, that was down five per cent from a year ago, with the drop centred mainly in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.
In fact, the survey found that Alberta, hard hit by trouble in the oilpatch, now is the least positive region in the country. Just 62 per cent of Albertans surveyed felt confident about their finances, down 21 percentage points from a year ago.
Sentiment was also lower in Ontario at 68 per cent, down from 73 per cent going into 2015, and in Quebec at 71 per cent, down from 78 per cent. Sentiment in British Columbia declined marginally to 71 per cent from 72 per cent.
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Confidence improved sharply in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, up seven percentage points at 78 per cent, while those surveyed in Atlantic Canada were slightly more positive, up two percentage points at 67 per cent…

Darren Calabrese/CP
The price of oil has tanked and took the loonie with it. The housing market is nervous. Government finances are crumbling and our exports are a mess. The poor performance of Canada’s economy over the last year has been unsettling for a nation that, only a few years ago, was feted for its resilience. So the news in December that a key economic pillar remains strong must surely have put many a worried mind at ease. That’s right, the banking oligopoly that has squeezed and gouged us for decades on its way to multi-billion-dollar profits and bloated bonuses had defied expectations and enjoyed another blockbuster year. Hooray?
Canadians have a complex relationship with their banks. When not grumbling about soaring ATM fees and other charges, the fine print on their mortgages or long waits on hold to speak to a human, we’ve also learned from recent experience in the U.S. and elsewhere to appreciate the stability of this country’s financial system. Just recently I overheard this snippet of conversation from a table of boisterous seniors at McDonald’s:
—“I keep hearing there’ll be a downturn…

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders waves as he arrives to speak at a campaign event in Eldridge, Iowa, United States, August 16, 2015. (Jim Young/Reuters)
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will pledge to break up the country’s largest financial institutions within the first year of his administration should he win the White House next November. He plans to make that pledge in a speech in New York on Tuesday afternoon.
In a rare policy address detailing his financial regulation plans, Sanders will vow to create a “too-big-to-fail” list of companies within the first 100 days of his administration whose failure would pose a grave risk to the U.S. economy without a taxpayer bailout, according to aides familiar with his plans. He would force the banks and insurance companies to reorganize within a year.
“Greed is not good,” Sanders plans to say, according to excerpts of his remarks. “And, here is a New Year’s Resolution that we will keep: If you do not end your greed, we will end it for you…