Elliott Investment Management reiterated its opposition to a revised tender offer for Toyota Industries, saying the deal substantially undervalues the Japanese forklift maker and a stand-alone plan offers a path to a much higher valuation. The U.S. activist investor issued an open letter on Sunday detailing its case, after having announced its opposition on Thursday. Elliott said its analysis showed the company’s intrinsic net asset value to be more than 26,000 yen a share as of Friday, equivalent to $164.21, and that a stand-alone plan offers a clear path to a valuation of more than ¥40,000 by 2028. The activist investor said key elements of the stand-alone plan included unwinding cross-shareholdings and ceasing overinvestment in the automotive segment.

Walmart announced a series of executive changes on Friday as John Furner prepares to take over as CEO of the world's largest retailer on February 1, replacing Doug McMillon.The moves aim to maintain the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer's growth momentum and bellwether position in the industry by promoting four longtime executives and expanding their responsibilities.
Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here. David Guggina will become ‌CEO of Walmart's largest division, Walmart U.S., replacing Furner in that role. Currently serving ​as chief e-commerce officer of Walmart U.S.

This month, several CEOs, including Exxon Mobil's Darren Woods and JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, also have offered temperate critiques of certain Trump agenda items. But they limited their remarks to sectors where they have interests - Venezuela's oil and the U.S. Federal Reserve, while Clark did not mention Trump by name or his policies during the speech. Several corporate governance experts said the statements and omissions were in line with a broader fear among business leaders that his administration will punish dissent. That is a marked difference from Trump's first term, when executives split with him after his handling of a white nationalist rally ‌in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 and more openly spoke out against other policies.

Barrick Mining is parting ways with its long-time chief financial officer Graham Shuttleworth, the latest leadership change as the big Canadian gold miner works with an activist shareholder behind the scenes to reinvigorate the company. In a statement on Monday, Toronto-based Barrick said that Mr. Shuttleworth, who had been at the company for seven years, is leaving after it files its year-end financial results. Mr. Shuttleworth joined the company after it acquired Randgold Resources Ltd. in 2019, and for decades worked alongside Mark Bristow, the former chief executive of Barrick.

Les Forces armées canadiennes attendent seulement l’approbation finale de Mark Carney pour envoyer des soldats, ont précisé des responsables gouvernementaux, sous le couvert de l’anonymat. Les Canadiens rejoindraient ainsi les soldats de l’OTAN venus d’Allemagne, du Royaume-Uni, de France, du Danemark, des Pays-Bas, de Norvège, de Suède et de Finlande. Samedi, Donald Trump a menacé d’imposer de nouveaux droits de douane de 10 % à ces huit pays européens en raison de leur présence militaire au Groenland, à compter du 1er février. La surtaxe pourrait augmenter à 25 % en juin.

Pour la deuxième fois en deux semaines, Hydro-Québec conteste en Cour supérieure une décision de la Régie de l’énergie qui, selon la société d’État, met des bâtons dans les roues de son ambitieux programme d’expansion et l’empêche d’entretenir adéquatement son réseau. La Régie de l’énergie a décidé que les sommes réclamées par Hydro-Québec pour l’entretien de son réseau étaient gonflées par rapport aux années antérieures, en raison du virage expansionniste de la société d’État et de sa volonté de doubler sa production au cours des prochaines années. Hydro-Québec ne l’entend pas de cette oreille et se tourne encore vers les tribunaux pour faire annuler une décision de la Régie qui menace la réalisation de son Plan d’action 2035.

The paradox is that weak decision ownership, not weak technology, is what turns a transparency duty into inconsistent practice. Transparency for AI generated content is often framed as a question of hidden markings and automated checks. For boards, it is mainly a question of authority, who decides when a label appears, what proof backs that decision, and who can pause publication when the organisation cannot show compliance. The paradox is that weak decision ownership, not weak technology, is what turns a transparency duty into inconsistent practice. On 17 December 2025 the European Commission published the first draft Code of Practice on transparency of AI generated content and opened feedback until 23 January 2026, with a second draft expected by mid March 2026 and a final text targeted for June 2026. The transparency rules are due to apply from 2 August 2026.

SEC chairman Paul Atkins has ordered the Division of Corporation Finance to carry out a comprehensive review of Regulation S-K, the cornerstone of non-financial disclosure requirements for public company filings in the US. The move, announced January 13, came with a clear focus on cutting through what Atkins described as a growing volume of disclosure that may not meaningfully aid investors. Atkins said that Regulation S-K has expanded substantially since its inception in 1982, and that the resulting filings can bury investors in information that is not clearly material to investment or voting decisions. He underscored the need for disclosure that better reflects what a reasonable investor would consider relevant. Public comments on potential revisions are being invited through April 13, 2026, as part of the review process begun with a focused look at executive compensation rules under Item 402 which took place last year.

Global shipping company Diana Shipping plans to launch a proxy fight to replace rival Genco Shipping & Trading's six current directors, making its decision just days after the board rejected Diana's takeover offer, two people familiar with the matter said. Diana Shipping, which owns nearly 15% of Genco and proposed buying all outstanding shares for $20.60 per share in cash, will nominate executives who have shipping and maritime industry experience in the coming days, one of the sources told Reuters. A representative for New York City-based Genco was not immediately available to comment. Diana now wants to give Genco shareholders an opportunity to elect newcomers to the board who would be open to exploring alternatives, including reviewing Diana's proposal to buy Genco, said one of the sources who was not authorized to speak publicly about the company's plan.

Mitsubishi has agreed to acquire a U.S. shale-gas business for $5.2 billion, in an effort to secure U.S. energy assets as geopolitical uncertainties persist. The acquisition of shale-gas assets in Texas and Louisiana is the Japanese company’s biggest-ever deal. The natural gas from the business is sold in the southern U.S. market, where demand is expected to rise, Mitsubishi said Friday. Part of the production could be exported as liquefied natural gas to Asia, including Japan and Europe, it said. The deal comes as President Trump has sought to shore up the U.S.’s manufacturing base and increase energy exports, while pressing allies not to buy oil and gas from countries such as Russia. The Japanese trading house said that it had agreed to acquire Aethon III, Aethon United and related entities that own shale-gas interests and gas processing facilities, and also develop, produce and sell natural gas.

Walmart will reshuffle its leadership team when John Furner takes over as chief executive next month, elevating a group of longtime executives as the retailer navigates a complex consumer and government landscape. David Guggina will become chief executive of Walmart U.S. as Furner leaves the role. That puts Guggina, the company’s current chief e-commerce officer, at the helm of the retailer’s largest business unit, which employs around 1.5 million workers. Walmart said in a statement that Guggina’s background in e-commerce and supply-chain operations positions him to continue expanding delivery and digital services. Chris Nicholas, currently the head of Sam’s Club U.S., will succeed Kath McLay as chief executive of Walmart’s international division. McLay was seen as a possible successor to departing Chief Executive Doug McMillon before Furner got the job. She plans to exit from the role at the end of the month, Walmart said Thursday.

Greenland, an ice-covered island with just 57,000 inhabitants, has unexpectedly become ground zero in one of the biggest crises in years to hit relations between the United States and Europe. Donald Trump’s threat to slap tariffs on imports from NATO allies that don’t back his plan to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous part of Denmark, has struck a nerve in European capitals and prompted some of the strongest criticism yet of the U.S. President from European leaders. “Europe won’t be blackmailed,” Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared on Sunday.

Workspace said on Monday that its chief executive officer, Lawrence Hutchings, is stepping down and would be replaced by The Office Group's co-founder, Charlie Green. The London-focused flexible office-space provider also named Tom Edwards‑Moss as CFO-designate to take over on February 23, with outgoing finance chief Dave Benson staying on until April 30 to ensure a smooth handover. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.

In many major cities and communities across Canada, it is impossible to access even basic court records – such as lawsuits, small claims files, criminal dockets and appearance schedules – without physically travelling to a courthouse. The extent of the problem varies depending on the jurisdiction, the type of court and the records in question. Some jurisdictions – including British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nunavut – do have online portals that connect users with case information. However, these websites often only reveal the existence of records – not the records themselves. And about half of Canada’s provinces and territories have no online search capability at all.

Oxfam prévient dans un nouveau rapport paru dimanche que l’accroissement rapide de la fortune des « ultrariches » leur confère un pouvoir démesuré susceptible d’éroder la vie démocratique de nombreux pays et de créer du même coup un « terreau fertile pour l’autoritarisme ». L’organisation prévient que la croissance des inégalités économiques favorise « l’érosion démocratique » de nombreux pays et facilite l’émergence de régimes autoritaires.
Trop de gouvernements, souligne le rapport, préfèrent miser sur la répression plutôt que d’adopter des mesures susceptibles d’assurer une redistribution plus équitable de la richesse.

[...] Au cours des deux dernières années, les concurrents de Lululemon ont redoublé d’efforts, tandis que le détaillant dont le siège est à Vancouver a été critiqué pour son manque de nouveautés, a dû retirer une gamme de leggings qui n’a pas séduit les clients et a vu son action chuter de près de 60 %. Aucune de ces erreurs n’a échappé à Chip Wilson, fondateur de Lululemon, qui s’est séparé de l’entreprise et qui a payé une page entière dans le Wall Street Journal pour reprocher au PDG Calvin McDonald un déclin que M. Wilson a comparé à un écrasement d’avion.

Tête d’affiche de la Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) depuis huit ans, Geneviève Guilbault quittera la vie politique à la fin de son mandat. Elle renonce ainsi à succéder à François Legault. [...] Geneviève Guilbault a longtemps été perçue comme l’éventuelle successeure de François Legault. Sa victoire dans ce bastion libéral a valeur de symbole pour la CAQ. C’est à ce moment que l’électorat a basculé : les Québécois ont vu en la CAQ une solution de rechange aux libéraux. Le parti a brusquement pris la tête dans les intentions de vote pour ensuite remporter les élections générales de l’automne 2018, brisant l’alternance au pouvoir entre libéraux et péquistes qui se perpétuait depuis près d’un demi-siècle.

FedEx has lined up financing and a new board for its FedEx Freight unit ahead of its planned spinoff of the freight-trucking division. FedEx on Friday said FedEx Freight has entered into a five-year, $1.2 billion revolving-credit facility and a three-year, $600 million delayed-draw term-loan facility. FedEx said it has filed a Form 10 registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the spinoff. FedEx previously said that its executive chairman, R. Brad Martin, will serve as FedEx Freight’s chairman. The company said John Smith, the incoming president and chief executive of FedEx Freight, will also serve on the board, along with eight independent directors. Stephen Gorman, a FedEx director since 2022, will step down from the board upon joining the FedEx Freight board, the company said.

Corporate governance is set to be increasingly used as a political instrument, underscoring its importance in a changing world order. If 2025 revealed notable shifts in the balance of power between stakeholders, shareholders and management across markets, 2026 is set to see governments exerting greater intervention in shaping corporate governance rules and behaviour. The US is the most striking and unexpected example of this reframing. What began as a backlash against stakeholder capitalism – such as pressure on both US and multinational companies to dismantle Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes – has moved far beyond that.

Dealmakers predict an uptick in mergers and IPOs for retailers and consumer goods companies this year after punishing tariffs on imports to the U.S. had sidelined activity in the industry for the first half of 2025. Several national restaurant and convenience store chains are primed for IPOs, along with organic baby food company Once Upon a Farm, Hellman & Friedman-backed auto repair company Caliber Holdings, and Bob’s Discount Furniture, which is owned by Bain Capital, according to more than two dozen CEOs, M&A advisors and private equity investors who attended the ICR Conference in Orlando, Florida this week.

The Liberal government has reached a deal with Beijing to slash tariffs on a set number of Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for China dropping duties on agriculture products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday. It marks the prime minister’s first deal on trade since taking office last year and a de-escalation in tensions with a country the Liberal government had, in recent years, branded a disruptive power. Carney described it as a “preliminary but landmark” agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs, part of a broader strategic partnership with China. “It’s a partnership that reflects the world as it is today, with an engagement that is realistic, respectful and interest-based,” Carney said at a news conference in Beijing. Carney said Ottawa expects Beijing to drop canola seed duties to 15 per cent from 84 per cent by March 1, and called that “enormous progress.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed suit against the former head of Emergent BioSolutions, accusing him of insider trading for selling his shares in the company before disclosing contamination issues in its production of the Covid-19 vaccine. Robert Kramer, who retired as chief executive officer in 2023, made $10.1 million from the sale of his shares months after learning about—and before publicly disclosing—production problems the company was facing, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in state court. Kramer is accused of violating the Martin Act, which forbids company insiders from trading stock while possessing material non-public information, James said. “At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert Kramer illegally profited millions by selling his company shares, while knowing that Emergent faced issues producing the AstraZeneca vaccine for millions of people,” James said in a statement. “Kramer’s actions were illegal and unethical, and we are holding him accountable.”