Concrètement, cela se traduit par un profit de 13 millions pour l’année financière qui s’est terminée le 31 mars dernier. C’est loin du bénéfice de 123 millions affichée en 2023-2024. La société d’État – qui gère les programmes d’aide de Québec en plus d’effectuer de l’accompagnement d’entreprises – impute sa performance aux perturbations sur les marchés boursiers pendant les mois de janvier, février et mars en raison de la guerre commerciale de l’administration Trump. « Nos résultats financiers reflètent en effet le repli significatif des marchés et l’instabilité entourant l’imposition de tarifs douaniers qui ont marqué le dernier trimestre », affirme la présidente-directrice générale d’IQ, Bicha Ngo. La performance d’IQ n’a pas empêché la paye globale – qui tient compte du salaire de base, des primes et autres avantages – des cinq principaux dirigeants du bras investisseur du gouvernement québécois d’avancer d’environ 5 %, à 4 millions.

Pan-European consumers organisation BEUC filed a complaint with the European Commission on Thursday against online fast-fashion retailer Shein over its use of "dark patterns", tactics designed to make people buy more on its app and website. Pop-ups urging customers not to leave the app or risk losing promotions, countdown timers that create time pressure to complete a purchase, and the infinite scroll on its app are among the methods Shein uses that could be considered "aggressive commercial practices", BEUC said in a report also published on Thursday. The BEUC also detailed Shein's use of frequent notifications, with one phone receiving 12 notifications from the app in a single day. "For fast fashion you need to have volume, you need to have mass consumption, and these dark patterns are designed to stimulate mass consumption," Agustin Reyna, director general of BEUC, said in an interview.

Nikesh Arora, the CEO of Palo Alto Networks, is joining Uber’s board of directors, the company announced in a regulatory filing Wednesday. It comes amid a broader executive shakeup this week at the ride-hailing company, which saw head of delivery Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty depart after 13 years. Andrew Macdonald, head of mobility, was promoted to president and chief operating officer, Uber’s first since 2019. “I’m honored to join Uber’s Board at such an exciting time, as the company plays a central role in commercializing autonomous mobility around the world,” Arora said in a statement. “Uber has already fundamentally transformed how people and goods move through cities, and I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued success.”

Mexico's antitrust watchdog is expected to renew its approval of Nippon Steel's fraught $14.9-billion bid for U.S. Steel as soon as Thursday, according to three people familiar with the matter, removing one of the last remaining hurdles to the tie-up. Cofece, as the regulator is known, gave the merger a green light previously, the people said, declining to be named as the matter was not public. Mexican approval of the proposed acquisition, first announced in December 2023, has since expired and must be renewed for the merger to proceed. Cofece did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel declined to comment. The news, which has not been previously reported, comes as investors wait anxiously for President Donald Trump to give final approval of an agreement to assuage any U.S. national security concerns.

Apple a mis en avant jeudi les recettes conséquentes que les éditeurs perçoivent via l’App Store, défendant ainsi sa plateforme de téléchargement d’applications dont le fonctionnement reste très contesté par les développeurs et les autorités. L’entreprise connue pour ses iPhone tire plus d’un quart de son chiffre d’affaires de son activité de services, qui comprend les commissions sur les ventes via l’App Store, les plateformes de diffusion musicale (Apple Music) et vidéo (Apple TV), ainsi que le stockage de données à distance (iCloud). Mais de nombreux éditeurs d’applications ainsi que des autorités comme l’Union européenne l’accusent d’abus de position dominante sur le marché conséquent des utilisateurs d’iPhone, à cause des règles de l’App Store, incontournable. Mercredi, une cour d’appel de San Francisco a rejeté une demande d’Apple de suspendre une décision de justice récente, qui l’oblige à laisser les développeurs diriger les utilisateurs vers le web pour faire des achats au sein d’une application sans payer de commission.  

Gucci owner Kering is in exclusive talks with buyout group Ardian about the sale of a stake in a prestigious Fifth Avenue building it bought just over a year ago, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The negotiations are part of the French luxury group's broad strategy to cut costs and sell stakes in prime real estate to help lower its heavy debt as the industry struggles with sagging consumer demand. Kering and Ardian declined to comment. Kering, controlled by family of CEO Francois-Henri Pinault, bought 715-717 Fifth Avenue in January 2024 for $963 million to secure a top retail location in one of the world's most popular shopping streets. The property stretches over 115,000 square feet across several stores. Kering's net debt soared to 10.5 billion euros ($12 billion) by the end of 2024, from close to zero three years earlier, following a shopping spree that saw roughly 4 billion euros spent on top properties in New York, Milan and Paris.
Deputy CEO Jean-Marc Duplaix said earlier this year that Kering expects to raise 2 billion euros or more over the next two years through real estate transactions.

Kimberly-Clark on Thursday struck a deal with Brazilian pulp maker Suzano to sell a majority stake in its international tissue business, valuing the business at about $3.4 billion, the Kleenex tissue maker said.The deal, structured as a strategic partnership, will form a new joint venture in which Kimberly-Clark would hold a 49% stake, while Suzano will pay about $1.73 billion in cash for the 51% stake. Suzano, which is one of the world's largest pulp maker, will have the option to purchase Kimberly-Clark's ownership interest under certain conditions, the Irving, Texas-based company said. The deal is expected to close in mid-2026. Several consumer-facing companies such as General Mills and PepsiCo have ramped up strategic deals over the last year in a bid to boost growth and increase global exposure. In September, General Mills divested its North American yoghurt segment for $2.1 billion to focus on faster-growing snacks and pet food business. PepsiCo bought tortilla-chip maker Siete Foods for $1.2 billion a month later.

Canada’s trade deficit in April widened to an all-time high of a whopping $7.1 billion, data showed on Thursday, as tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump sucked out demand for Canadian goods from the United States. Its exports to the rest of the world rose, but could not compensate for the drop in exports to the U.S., data from Statistics Canada showed. Exports to the U.S. shrank by 15.7 per cent, a third consecutive monthly decline, Statscan said, adding that exports south of the border have fallen by over 26 per cent since the peak seen in January. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected the trade deficit to widen to $1.5-billion for April. Statistics Canada also made a big revision to the trade deficit recorded in March to $2.3 billion from $506-million.

Kimberly-Clark struck a more than $3 billion deal for its Kleenex and tissue businesses outside of North America as the maker of Scott toilet paper and Huggies diapers aims to focus on more profitable areas. The consumer-products company said Thursday it would enter into a strategic partnership with Suzano the big pulp producer based in Brazil. Kimberly-Clark said it would own a 49% interest in a new joint venture, which will include basically all the assets of its international tissue business, with Suzano owning the rest. It said the deal values the international tissue unit at around $3.4 billion, including debt. The sale announcement confirmed an earlier report from The Wall Street Journal. Suzano will also have the option to purchase Kimberly-Clark’s remaining ownership interest in the future, according to the two companies.

Un important syndicat d’Hydro-Québec dont les membres devaient partir en grève du 9 au 13 juin a retiré son avis de grève mercredi. Les négociations se poursuivront jeudi et vendredi. Le Syndicat des spécialistes et professionnels d’Hydro-Québec, section locale 4250 (SSPHQ 4250) en a fait l’annonce dans une communication interne mercredi après-midi. « Depuis le 3 juin, le comité de négo était en conciliation avec l’employeur au Tribunal administratif du travail concernant la liste des services essentiels », écrit le syndicat, qui avait déposé un avis de grève le 28 mai dernier. Lors d’une audience mercredi, la partie patronale aurait défendu « que l’avis de grève était illégal parce qu’il ne visait pas l’ensemble des membres de notre accréditation », selon la communication. Le syndicat affirme toutefois que son avis de grève « visait à préserver notre image et l’image d’Hydro-Québec vis-à-vis du public en n’affectant aucunement les services à la population. »

La Banque du Canada laisse son taux directeur inchangé à 2,75 % pour la deuxième fois consécutive, pour se donner le temps de voir plus clair sur l’évolution de l’économie. « L’incertitude reste élevée. L’économie canadienne s’est affaiblie, mais pas de façon marquée. Et les récentes données sur l’inflation sont légèrement plus fortes que prévu. Dans ce contexte, nous avons décidé de laisser le taux directeur inchangé le temps d’amasser plus d’informations sur la politique commerciale américaine et ses effets », a justifié le gouverneur Tiff Macklem dans une déclaration écrite.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday is due to take the first steps toward producing new rules on which foreign firms qualify for less stringent investor disclosure requirements, according to a public notice. The public meeting, set for 1 p.m. in Washington, comes a year after a Republican Commissioner Mark Uyeda called for a public comment process on changing the definition of publicly traded foreign firms. He singled out Chinese companies as enjoying easier reporting requirements even when they are solely traded on U.S. stock markets. The commission is due to consider whether to issue a call for public comment on possible new rules, the substance of which the SEC has not yet made public.

Optimizing shareholder return is not a CEO's main objective, according to Lauren Chung, director of Genenta Science and NorthView Acquisition Corp. and chief financial officer and executive director at Laxxon Medical. A CEO must, first and foremost, be able to establish company priorities and communicate them internally to management as well as to the entire workforce while also externally communicating those same priorities to shareholders and key stakeholders alike. “CEOs must have the ability to develop relationships with all stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, government regulators and employees,” Chung states. Equally as important, a CEO must select and optimize a company's senior management, motivating the entire team, across all levels, to determine how best to deploy resources to maximize returns. 

Le Syndicat des travailleurs et travailleuses des postes (STTP) affirme avoir déposé une plainte de pratique déloyale de travail contre Postes Canada relativement aux négociations contractuelles en cours. Le syndicat allègue dans sa plainte que la société d’État négocie directement avec ses membres, porte atteinte à ses droits exclusifs de négociation et tente de discréditer sa réputation. Il affirme que Postes Canada a dirigé ses membres vers un site web qui fournit des mises à jour sur les négociations et qu’elle a modifié ses offres en fonction des commentaires publiés en ligne. Selon le syndicat, une telle pratique constitue une tentative de contourner son rôle d’intermédiaire. Postes Canada n’a pas immédiatement répondu à une demande de réaction. Le syndicat demande au Conseil canadien des relations industrielles d’ordonner à Postes Canada de mettre fin à ce qu’il qualifie d’ingérence et de lui donner l’occasion de réfuter le point de vue de Postes Canada.

Apple has brought in Tata Group to handle repairs for iPhones and MacBook devices in its fast-growing Indian market, signalling the Indian conglomerate's deepening role in the U.S. tech giant's supply chain, two people familiar with the matter said. As Apple looks beyond China for manufacturing, Tata has fast emerged as its key supplier and already assembles iPhones for local and foreign markets at three facilities in south India, with one of them also making some iPhone components. In its latest partnership expansion, Tata is taking over the mandate from an Indian unit of Taiwan's Wistron, ICT Service Management Solutions, and will carry out such after-sales repairs from its Karnataka iPhone assembly campus, both sources said. The market for repairs is only going to boom in India, the world's second-biggest smartphone market, as iPhone sales skyrocket. Counterpoint Research estimates around 11 million iPhones were sold in India last year, giving Apple a 7% market share, compared to just 1% in 2020.

European satellite company SES is set to win unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $3.1-billion bid for rival Intelsat, people familiar with the matter said, creating a major European player to rival Elon Musk's Space X-owned Starlink. Together with other European satellite companies, Luxembourg-headquartered SES is looking for greater scale to compete more effectively with Starlink and Amazon's Project Kuiper. The European Commission, which is scheduled to decide on the deal by June 10, and SES declined to comment. The acquisition comes as the European Union ramps up its drive for strategic autonomy in this area to reduce its dependence on U.S. companies. The merged company would have a fleet of more than 100 geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and 26 medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites compared with Starlink's 5,800 satellites. The deal, which secured unconditional clearance from the UK competition authority last week, is currently being reviewed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice.

Alberta Investment Management Corp. has added former chief investment officer Sandra Lau to its board of directors, as the government-owned pension fund manager rebuilds its leadership team after a mass purge late last year. Ms. Lau was AIMCo’s CIO for less than a year, starting in 2022. She retired in 2023 after 24 years at the pension fund manager, including a stint leading AIMCo’s fixed-income investments. Early in 2023, Ms. Lau was succeeded by Marlene Puffer, who left the institution last fall after less than two years in the job. AIMCo has been without a full-time CIO since September. Ms. Lau is the sixth member of a revamped AIMCo board that is led by chair Stephen Harper, the former prime minister. “Sandra Lau brings both exceptional skills and a unique perspective, and I am pleased to welcome her back to AIMCo as a member of the board,” Mr. Harper said in a statement announcing her appointment.

Après un mois de mars record, le déficit commercial des États-Unis a été divisé par plus de deux au mois d’avril, sous l’effet d’un fort ralentissement des importations alors que les droits de douane voulus par Donald Trump entraient en vigueur. Sur le quatrième mois de l’année, la balance commerciale des biens et services américains a enregistré un déficit de 61,6 milliards de dollars, contre 138,3 milliards de dollars en mars, dont les données ont été révisées en légère baisse. Un mois durant lequel les entreprises américaines avaient massivement importé pour constituer des stocks avant de subir les effets des droits de douane. Le déficit commercial en avril est cependant bien en deçà des prévisions des analystes, qui tablaient sur un reflux plus modeste, à 117,2 milliards de dollars, selon le consensus publié par briefing.com. Il s’agit du plus faible déficit enregistré depuis mars 2023.

Indian and U.S. are holding high-level talks this week, aiming to finalise tariff cuts in sectors such as farm and automobiles as part of an interim deal, two government sources said, with an announcement likely later this month. A U.S. delegation led by senior officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) began closed-door, two-day discussions in New Delhi on Thursday with Indian trade officials headed by chief negotiator Rajesh Agrawal, the sources said. "During the current round of talks, negotiators are discussing tariff cuts on specific sectors including agriculture and autos, and proposed benefits for Indian companies," one Indian government source, said. The deal may be formally announced by month end, before the self-imposed deadline of July 9 by President Trump, but a statement is expected once meetings wrap up, possibly by Sunday, a second official said. Trade Minister Piyush Goyal, currently in Italy, may return to meet the delegation, the official added. The officials said spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the discussions.

Canada’s Vermilion Energy said on Thursday it will sell its United States assets for $120 million (US$87.88 million), completing its exit from the U.S. market. The company said it will use the proceeds to repay debt, strengthen balance sheet and added that it expects to exit 2025 with a net debt of $1.3 billion. The transaction, expected to close in the third quarter, will allow Vermilion Energy to focus on core gas-weighted assets in Canada and Europe. The company also raised its current year production forecast to between 117,000 and 122,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) from 84,000 to 88,000 boepd earlier. Earlier this year, the company acquired privately held oil and gas firm Westbrick Energy for $1.075 billion, strengthening its position in the Deep Basin of Alberta.

Procter & Gamble said it would cut 7,000 jobs, or roughly 15% of its nonmanufacturing workforce around the world, over the next two years. The maker of Tide detergent, Pampers diapers and Bounty paper towels had about 108,000 total employees as of June last year. P&G executives, speaking at a conference in Paris, also said they plan to trim the company’s product portfolio, exiting some categories and divesting it of some smaller brands in certain markets. The company didn’t offer specifics on those plans. P&G in April reported a decline in quarterly sales and lowered its fiscal-year sales forecast, citing consumer uncertainty and a volatile geopolitical environment. To mitigate the impact of tariffs, the company in April said it would consider cutting costs, changing product formulations and raising prices on some items. P&G also faces stiff competition in a battle for market share as shoppers tighten their belts. Since President Trump started a global trade war, companies have been taking a close look at expenses, both to absorb some of the costs of tariffs and in anticipation of an economic slowdown.

Quelques mois après avoir reçu l’appui du premier ministre François Legault pour sa stratégie de stopper ses exportations aux États-Unis, Rémabec sort le couperet et ferme ses portes. Dès la semaine prochaine, les quelque 2000 travailleurs de la compagnie forestière perdront leur emploi pour une période indéterminée. En plus du conflit sur le bois d’œuvre, l’incertitude associée à la guerre commerciale et la menace de nouveaux droits de douane, qui s’élèvent actuellement à 14,40 %, pèsent lourd sur la forestière, selon les intervenants interrogés par La Presse. Depuis le début de la semaine, le Groupe Rémabec a procédé à des vagues de mises à pied dans ses sept installations, réparties en Mauricie, au Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean et sur la Côte-Nord. Bûcherons, transporteurs, mécaniciens, affûteurs, opérateurs de scierie : environ 2000 employés perdront leur gagne-pain pour une période indéterminée, ont appris leurs représentants syndicaux, mardi.

Les réseaux de télécommunications sont de plus en plus vulnérables aux menaces de sécurité, selon des experts en technologie, qui jugent que les entreprises devraient tirer parti de l’intelligence artificielle pour protéger leurs infrastructures. S’exprimant mercredi lors du 24e Sommet canadien des télécommunications à Toronto, la dirigeante principale de la technologie chez Ericsson Canada, Tania Leppert, a affirmé qu’il est de plus en plus nécessaire de protéger les infrastructures de télécommunications, qui sont de plus en plus essentielles au quotidien. « Nous accordons une grande importance ces jours-ci à la criticité de ces infrastructures, ce qui, malheureusement, en fait également une cible très prisée des acteurs malveillants », a-t-elle mentionné aux participants lors de la deuxième et dernière journée du sommet.

UK's Warehouse REIT has agreed to sell itself to Blackstone for 470 million pounds ($635.35 million), days after the investment firm lowered its bid for the company due to valuation-related issues uncovered during due diligence. The 110.6 pence per share offer price agreed on Wednesday represents a 34.2% premium to Warehouse REIT's closing stock price on February 28, the day before Blackstone's initial bid with global investment firm Sixth Street Partners was disclosed. Blackstone raised its bid to 489 million pounds in March but knocked off the sweetener, citing differing views on the value of an asset. The final offer price includes a dividend of 1.6 pence per share. "The company's growth has been constrained by the weak macroeconomic backdrop, high interest rates, and an inability to raise new equity," said Neil Kirton, the chair of Warehouse.

Un producteur d’énergie solaire indien contrôlé par la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) continue d’être hanté par un important scandale de corruption. Azure Power Global versera 32 millions à des actionnaires qui estiment avoir été floués par ses ex-dirigeants. Récemment conclue devant un tribunal new-yorkais dans le cadre d’une demande d’action collective, cette entente de 23 millions US doit être avalisée par un juge américain, le 5 septembre prochain. « Cette méthode est plus efficace que d’autres moyens pour répartir, de manière efficace, le montant des réclamations », écrit le magistrat Gregory H. Woods, dans son jugement de 12 pages.