The Financial Post reports in its Friday, Feb. 14, edition that Canadian Tire has reported that growing consumer optimism has largely diminished due to uncertainty surrounding tariffs. The Post's Gigi Suhanic writes that chief executive officer Greg Hicks noted that while it appeared the economy was experiencing "multiple green shoots" and consumer sentiment was beginning to improve as the fourth quarter came to a close, the recent tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump may have negatively affected the retail giant. Mr. Hicks mentioned that interest rate cuts have had a significant positive psychological impact on consumers, and he believes this may lead to real economic benefits. He pointed out that Canada's economy is sensitive to interest rate changes, as most mortgages are reset every five years. The Bank of Canada reduced interest rates from 5 per cent to 3 per cent starting in June of last year. Mr. Hicks said, "For our customers, rate relief is real relief." He added: "I'd be remiss if I didn't caveat this optimism with the looming threat of tariffs. I suspect that the consumer confidence uptick I mentioned has now been substantially erased with tariff talk."