National Business

BERLIN (AP) — Center-left leader Olaf Scholz became Germany's ninth post-World War II chancellor Wednesday, opening a new era for the European Union’s most populous nation and largest economy after Angela Merkel’s 16-year tenure .

MONTREAL — Canadian business owners are bullish on the economy's rebound from COVID-19, with a new report finding investment plans and sales expectations for next year exceed pre-pandemic levels.

TORONTO — The average salary increases given to men this year were nearly double the amounts received by women, a new survey has found.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — One of the largest U.S. health insurance companies and its branches in Nevada were found liable Tuesday for $60 million in punitive damages for underpaying out-of-network emergency medical providers.

BEIJING — Stocks rose broadly on Wall Street Tuesday, adding to the market’s solid gains from a day earlier, as investors wager that the new variant of the COVID-19 virus won’t pose as big a threat to the economy as some initially feared.

HONOLULU (AP) — A slow-moving storm that knocked out power, swamped dozens of homes and sent creeks and streams surging had mostly passed over Hawaii on Tuesday, though the threat of flooding lingered in some already-drenched areas.

TORONTO — CIBC has agreed to pay $125 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that had accused the bank of misrepresenting its exposure to U.S. residential mortgage-backed securities ahead of the financial crisis.

MONTREAL — Katie Summers cancelled her wedding anniversary trip three times over the past 18 months. Now, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 means her January vacation to Hawaii with her husband may be added to the scrap heap.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (21,162.65, up 301.55 points.) Suncor Energy Inc. (TSX:SU). Energy. Up 60 cents, or 1.9 per cent, to $31.70 on 15.6 million shares.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index has its strongest two-day performance in more than 10 months on easing fears about the latest COVID-19 variant that helped push the price of oil above US$70 a barrel. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 301.