National Business

OTTAWA — Retail sales in December came in slightly stronger than economists were expecting, driven by strong sales for new cars and parts. Statistics Canada reported retail sales rose 0.9 per cent to $67.

TORONTO — More than 28,000 Toyota vehicles have been recalled due to a transmission problem that can lead to crashes, says the auto manufacturer.

TORONTO — Both a little opaque on how they’re calculated and sometimes painfully clear in what they say, credit scores are an unavoidable part of any borrowers’ life.

KINGSEY FALLS, Que. — Cascades Inc. reported a loss of $57 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $27 million a year earlier.

CALGARY — Enerplus Corp. has signed a deal to be acquired by U.S. company Chord Energy Corp. in a stock-and-cash deal worth about US$3.8 billion.

MONTREAL — Quebecor Inc. raised its quarterly dividend as it reported its fourth-quarter profit and revenue rose compared with a year ago. The company says it will pay a quarterly dividend of 32.5 cents per share, up from 30 cents.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index surged Thursday past the record it set in 1989 before its financial bubble burst, ushering in an era of faltering growth. The index closed Thursday at 39,098.68, up 2.2%.

SASKATOON — Fertilizer giant Nutrien Inc. says it earned US$176 million, or 35 cents per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2023 — down from US$1.12 billion in the same period of 2022. The Saskatoon-based company, which reports in U.S.

CALGARY — Suncor Energy Inc. says it earned $2.82 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023, up from $2.74 billion in the same period of 2022. The Calgary-based oil company says its net earnings for the three months ended Dec. 31 work out to $2.

VICTORIA — British Columbia Finance Minister Katrine Conroy says the province should prepare for a fiscal deficit in the upcoming budget — but there won't be cuts that result in a "deficit of services".