Corporate governance - Vigil

Greater dispersion of returns likely for firms and countries as debt and deficits surge

The damage will be noticeable but not disastrous

Bombardier Inc.'s US$1.2-billion deal to sell its plane parts manufacturing business to Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. and exit commercial aviation is going through but cash proceeds to the Canadian plane maker will be lower.

Balancing a stronger-than-expected economic rebound with a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank of Canada looks unlikely to make any dramatic moves in this week’s monetary policy decision. But the financial markets will nevertheless be looking for hints on where the central bank will take its highly stimulative policy position from here.

In a landmark antitrust complaint, the Justice Department is targeting a secretive partnership that is worth billions of dollars to both companies.

Chinese financial-technology giant Ant Group Co. is aiming to raise at least $34.4 billion from the world’s biggest-ever initial public offering, fillings showed Monday, in a blockbuster deal that will bypass U.S. stock exchanges.

British Academy study reveals 63% of firms are taking steps to become more purposeful, while 55% think there should be government incentives.

With a second wave of coronavirus infections sweeping through Europe, one of the continent’s smallest countries is attempting a big response: Slovakia will try to test every adult over the next two weeks.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. has told its suppliers that it will charge more fees to get their products on shelves, escalating an already tense standoff between supermarkets and food producers.

Renault will stop making vans for rival Fiat Chrysler (FCA), its deputy chief executive Clotilde Delbos said on Friday, as the Italian carmaker finalizes a merger agreement with Peugeot-maker PSA Group.

Montreal-based clothing chain Le Château Inc. is going out of business, and is preparing to liquidate assets and close down its 123 stores across Canada after 61 years in business.

“There is so much money on the side now from both strategic buyers and private equity players looking to deploy themselves in the economy to make acquisitions that the cycle is extremely strong,” Vachon said Thursday in an interview for the Bloomberg Canadian Fixed-Income Conference. “We feel it will accelerate in a post-pandemic world.”

Japan is aiming to cut greenhouse gases to zero by 2050 and become a carbon-neutral society, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Monday as he unveiled a major shift in position on climate change.

The United States on Monday told the WTO that it regretted the European Union’s decision to pursue retaliatory tariffs for Boeing subsidies, adding it favoured a “negotiated resolution” with the bloc over its subsidies to rival planemaker Airbus.

The wave of consolidation sweeping through the oil patch, highlighted by Cenovus Energy Inc.'s planned takeover of Husky Energy Inc., puts Canada’s largest homegrown energy companies in a position to expand their stakes in Alberta’s oil sands as foreign players sell holdings to reduce carbon emissions.

Genworth MI Canada said on Monday real estate service provider Brookfield Business Partners will buy the remaining 43 per cent stake it does not hold in the mortgage insurer for about $1.6 billion.

The owner of Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins held early talks to go private in an acquisition by Inspire Brands, which holds chains including Arby’s

Deal would boost German company’s drugs pipeline as coronavirus, Roundup lawsuits squeeze results

The merged Cenovus Energy Inc. will remain headquartered in Alberta. The deal would combine the companies into a new integrated oil and gas business with increased and more stable cash flows, the statement said.

According to a UNCTAD report, corporate debt bubble might explode and cause another global financial crisis, especially in the post COVID-19 economy when many companies will face heightened financial stress.

Walmart is suing the U.S. government in a pre-emptive strike in the battle over its responsibility in the opioid abuse crisis.

Canadian energy drink company Guru Organic Energy Corp. is going public, betting it can attract new investors and consumers as it positions itself as the plant-based, healthy alternative in an image-challenged industry.

The pandemic has rocked government finances across the world and led to questions about the financial durability of pension funds. But a new ranking by Mercer and the CFA Institute puts the Canada Pension Plan in the top 10. There is always room for improvement, however.