National Business

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Oil companies offered a combined $264 million for drilling rights in federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in a sale mandated by last year’s climate bill compromise .

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government is to spend up to $6 million to send patients to Calgary for hip and knee surgeries, a move that has irked the province’s largest health-care union.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (19,837.65, up 180.12): TC Energy Corp. (TSX:TRP). Energy. Up $1.24, or 2.36 per cent, to $53.86 on 15.2 million shares.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index rose almost one per cent Wednesday amid broad-based strength while U.S. markets also posted strong gains. “It’s a rather benign day,” said Craig Fehr, investment strategist at Edward Jones.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rallied Wednesday as Wall Street shakes off more of the fear that dominated it earlier this month. The S&P 500 rose 1.4% for its fourth gain in the last five days.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers accused top bank regulators Wednesday of dawdling as Silicon Valley Bank hurtled toward the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history and questioned whether tougher regulations would have made a difference.

Small business owners are praising a measure in the federal budget to lower credit card interchange fees, but some industry representatives argued the move will do little to save costs for consumers.

TORONTO — Real estate observers say a new mortgage code of conduct promised in the federal budget will be handy for Canadians facing financial difficulties, but they still feel the economic plan was lacking needed housing affordability measures.

CALGARY — A question mark continues to hang over the future of carbon capture and storage projects in Canada, in spite of a pledge in Tuesday's federal budget to deliver more investment certainty for major emissions-reducing projects.

MONTREAL — A senior Bank of Canada official says the central bank is keeping a close eye on the stresses to the global banking system ahead of its next interest rate decision and monetary policy report in April.