The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Canadians are riding the recent stock market rally, but they continue to face onerous debt payments. The Globe's Matt Lundy writes that in the fourth quarter, households saw their net worth rise by $290-billion, or 1.8 per cent, to $16.4-trillion, Statistics Canada said Wednesday. Financial assets, such as stocks and bonds, jumped by 5 per cent as investors bid up prices in anticipation of lower interest rates. On the other side of the ledger, Canadians were cautious about taking on debt. Financial liabilities rose by 3.4 per cent in 2023, the weakest accumulation of household debt in a calendar year since 1990. Statscan noted that mortgage interest payments have nearly doubled in dollar terms since the start of 2022. In the fourth quarter, around two-thirds of mortgage payments were directed to the interest portion. The S&P/TSX composite is up 4.8 per cent so far in 2024, while the S&P 500 is up 8.3 per cent. Maria Solovieva, a TD Bank economist, said that despite the overall boost in wealth, many households are under stress. A recent uptick in consumer insolvencies "suggests that some families are unable to meet their financial obligations," she said.