The Financial Post reports in its Friday edition that despite economic turbulence, Canadian households became even wealthier in the first quarter, with their net worth expanding to a collective $17.6-trillion. The Post's Serah Louis writes that Statistics Canada's latest national balance sheet, released Thursday, revealed household net worth ticked up by 0.8 per cent ($141.2-billion), but slowed from the fourth quarter of 2024 when household wealth increased by 1 per cent. Statistics Canada also highlighted that the wealthiest 20 per cent of households hold more than two-thirds of financial assets and more than half of real estate. "We have noted before that the uneven recovery of the Canadian economy means that only the top 40 per cent of income earners have been able to save since the 2020 pandemic, while lower- and middle-income households face pressures from rising living costs," RBC economist Abbey Xu said in a note. Household wealth gains continue to be driven mainly by financial assets, which hit a new record high of $10.92-trillion despite market volatility that was especially heightened in April, when the U.S. launched a global trade war. The S&P/TSX Composite Index inched up 0.8 per cent in Q1.