Markets & the Caribbean, Week of November 10, 2026: US Jobs Beat, Canada Sheds Jobs, Mortgage Rates at 7.18%

The week's macro news pulled in two directions for our buyers. US employers added 165,000 jobs in October, far above forecasts, and markets now give a December Fed hike strong odds. In Canada, employment fell for a third straight month and the loonie is stuck near 71 US cents. US mortgage rates, meanwhile, eased for a third week.

United States: strong jobs, a December hike in play

The October jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, released November 6:

• Nonfarm payrolls: +165,000, against a forecast near 65,000

• Unemployment rate: 4.1%, little changed

• Average hourly earnings: $38.00, up 3.1% over 12 months

• August and September revised up by a combined 84,000 jobs

The Fed held its target range at 3.75% to 4% on October 28, after hiking in September. After the report, CME FedWatch put the odds of a quarter-point hike at the December 8–9 meeting at 76.8%, InvestmentNews reported, and the 10-year Treasury yield rose to about 4.87%. October's consumer price index is due today, Tuesday November 10, at 8:30 a.m. ET. September's reading was 3.7%.

For Sint Maarten buyers: the Fed sets the cost of the money many Americans use to buy here, from home-equity lines to cash-out refinances. A December hike would keep that money expensive through high season.

US mortgage rates: 7.18%, a third weekly drop

Freddie Mac's survey of November 5 put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.18%, down from 7.24% a week earlier but almost a full point above the 6.22% of a year ago. The 15-year averaged 6.57%. The next reading comes Thursday, November 12.

For Sint Maarten buyers: on a $400,000 loan, 7.18% costs about $2,710 a month in principal and interest, roughly $255 more than at last year's rate. Run that number before choosing between financing and cash. With strong jobs data and a possible Fed hike, a quick return to 6% looks unlikely.

Canada: jobs down, loonie near 71 cents

Statistics Canada reported on November 6 that employment slipped by 4,700 in October, after losses of 68,000 in September and 42,000 in August. Unemployment rose to 6.7%, a second monthly increase, and hourly wages grew 2.2% year over year. The report landed nine days after the Bank of Canada raised its policy rate to 2.5%.

The Canadian dollar closed at 1.4130 per US dollar on November 9, according to Knightsbridge FX, or about 70.8 US cents.

For Sint Maarten buyers: prices on the Dutch side are in US dollars. At that rate, a $500,000 condo costs about C$706,500 before closing costs. A central bank hiking into a softening job market is rarely good news for its currency, so Canadian buyers who already hold US dollars are in the stronger position.

Europe: the euro holds at $1.12

The European Central Bank's reference rate was 1.1193 dollars per euro on November 9, against 1.1216 a week earlier and a range of 1.1130 to 1.1267 over the past month. That is well below the 1.1699 of August 21. The ECB left rates unchanged in October; the Bank of England raised its rate to 4% on November 5.

For Sint Maarten buyers: a $500,000 Dutch-side condo costs a euro buyer about €446,700 today, some €19,300 more than at the late-August rate. On the French side, prices are in euros, so it works the other way for Americans: the dollar buys a little more in Terres Basses or Orient Bay than it did in summer.

Caribbean: winter supply comes back

• Jamaica: more than 75% of hotel rooms are operating again after Hurricane Melissa, with 90% expected by December 1, Caribbean Journal reported on November 3. The island had more than 2 million visitors from January to August. Porter Airlines is adding Montego Bay nonstops from Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton, nearly 5,000 seats this season.

• Curaçao: Marriott opens The Pyrmont Curaçao, a 305-room Autograph Collection all-inclusive in Pietermaai, in phases from the first week of December.

• Hilton now counts more than 100 open and planned hotels across the Caribbean (Caribbean Journal, November 5).

For Sint Maarten owners: Jamaica's recovery puts a big competitor back on the winter map, especially for Canadian travelers, and Curaçao keeps adding rooms in the Dutch Caribbean. Sint Maarten enters the season with momentum, with air arrivals up 21.4% in the first half of 2026 according to STAT, but rental owners should price for a fuller field this winter.

Our read

The week leaves US rates higher for longer and the Canadian dollar under pressure, while the euro holds near $1.12. For cash buyers, little of this changes the decision. For financed buyers, the cost of money is the main variable, and it is not falling fast. Our current Sint Maarten properties for sale are listed with asking prices in US dollars, so you can run the numbers in your own currency. This is not financial advice.

Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics (November 6, 2026); InvestmentNews (November 6); Freddie Mac (November 5); Statistics Canada (November 6); Knightsbridge FX (November 9); European Central Bank (November 9); Caribbean Journal (November 3, 5 and 6); STAT Sint Maarten.