Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s business and investing news quiz. Join us each week to test your knowledge of the stories making the headlines. Our business reporters come up with the questions, and you can show us what you know.
This week: Stocks rallied after Nvidia, a leading manufacturer of AI-related computer chips forecast a 233-per-cent growth in revenue in its current quarter, above market expectations of a 208-per-cent rise. Nvidia revealed its forecast after markets closed on Wednesday; the following morning, the company’s stock accounted for over a quarter of all trading in S&P 500 stocks.
Also: Loblaw Cos. Ltd announced fourth-quarter revenue of $14.5-billion, an increase of 3.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2022. The company said consumers feeling the pressure from rising food costs were flocking to its discount brands and private labels. And former TC Energy chief executive officer Russ Girling was announced as chairman at Suncor Energy.
a. 1989. The Nikkei 225 index of the biggest Japanese companies has rallied strongly in recent months and has finally surpassed the record it set 34 years ago at the height of the country’s stock market bubble.
b. “The most important stock on planet Earth.” Nvidia is now worth roughly as much as all the Chinese companies listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange combined.
c. Air Canada. A small claims court in British Columbia ordered Air Canada to give a partial refund to a grieving passenger who had received inaccurate information from the airline’s chatbot about the company’s policy on bereavement travel.
b. US$100-million. The Bermans will receive a combined US$96-million, plus potential severance pay, if Blackstone Inc.’s proposed takeover of Tricon is completed.
d. They have fallen by half. Yep, we’re not convinced either. Among other issues, Statscan measures the prices that wireless companies advertise on their websites. It does not measure what Canadians actually spend on their cellphone plans.
a. They have pulled out of a climate action group. The financial giants pulled out of a group called Climate Action 100+, an international coalition of money managers that was pushing big companies to address climate issues. Political attacks on “woke” capitalism contributed to the decisions. So did legal risks.
c. About $240,000. According to a federal government report, average farm family income rose 11 per cent in 2023 to $239,000.
a. Control a computer mouse using their thoughts. Neuralink successfully implanted a chip on its first human patient in January.
d. 1 to 3 per cent. The central bank aims for 1 to 3 per cent inflation so the latest reading offers tentative hope that Canada’s inflationary surge is finally fading back to target.
d. US$26-million. The Citi board said this week it was boosting Ms. Fraser’s pay by 6 per cent and lauded her for announcing “the most consequential set of changes” to the bank since the 2008 financial crisis.
b. Build new discount stores and pharmacy clinics. Loblaw plans to add more than 40 new discount stores and 140 new pharmacy care clinics.
c. Arrest them. The motion to issue a summons for GCStrategies partners Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony ultimately passed after extensive debate. The pair, who could be arrested by the sergeant-at-arms if they refuse, defied an earlier summons, citing mental-health concerns.
Ian McGugan