National Business

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party has won a thumping majority of seats in Britain's Parliament — a decisive outcome to a Brexit-dominated election that should allow Johnson to fulfil his plan to take the U.K.

MONTREAL — Samsung Electronics has made a first step into Canada's telecommunications infrastructure market with a deal to supply equipment for Videotron's wireless network in the province of Quebec and the Ottawa region of Ontario.

WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales rose at a modest pace in November as the holiday shopping season appeared to have a slow start. The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in November, down from 0.

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says household debt went up in the third quarter as household net worth also rose. The agency says that on a seasonally adjusted basis, total borrowing increased to $28.5 billion for the quarter from $21.

BEIJING — Expectations for a U.S.-Chinese trade truce rose Friday, though Beijing accused Washington of unfairly attacking its economy and said a settlement to their costly, 17-month-old conflict must be "mutually beneficial.

MONTREAL — Power Corp. says brothers Andre and Paul Desmarais Jr. will retire from their long-serving roles as co-CEOs of the management and holding company.

TORONTO — An analyst says the insider group behind a privatization bid for Hudson's Bay Co. will need to boost its offer to convince minority shareholders to vote for the proposal.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration and China are close to finalizing a modest trade agreement that would suspend tariffs that are set to kick in Sunday, de-escalating their 17-month trade war. "We're close to a deal,'' said Myron Brilliant, the U.

TORONTO — North American stock markets were up with U.S. exchanges setting record intraday highs Thursday on signals about an impending trade deal between the world's two largest economies. Investors responded positively after U.S.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (16,946.90, up 7.29 points.) Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (TSX:CNQ). Energy. Up $1.25, or 3.22 per cent, to $40.12 on 10.