National Business

TORONTO — Copper rose to a 10-year high Tuesday as a gain in most commodity prices helped to lift Canada's main stock index slightly on a flat day for North American markets. The May copper contract was up 4.7 cents at nearly US$4.

TORONTO — A fast-food restaurant, a car dealership and a makeup manufacturer were among the first Toronto workplaces ordered to close or partially shut down due to COVID-19 outbreaks.

TORONTO — Rogers Communications Inc. is warning Canadians to be wary of text messages offering to reimburse customers for a system outage earlier this month.

MONTREAL — The chief executive of Videotron is leaving the company at a critical time for the wireless sector and will be replaced by Pierre Karl Peladeau, who will oversee the company as head of Quebecor Inc.

AMSTERDAM — Crowds gathered in cities across the Netherlands on Tuesday despite authorities urging people to stick to coronavirus social distancing regulations as the country marked the King's Day national holiday.

NEW YORK — Small businesses in the U.S. fueled demand for delivery, helping UPS post better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter of the year. That sent the company's stock to an all-time high Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — Consumer confidence rose sharply for a second straight month, hitting the highest level since the pandemic began, as the rapid rollout of vaccines and another round of U.S. financial support for Americans boosts optimism.

When the federal government set the interest rate for federal student loans at zero and provincial interest rates were set at a low 3.

Travis Scott, the rapper famous for his string of stylish hip-hop hits, from “SICKO MODE” to “Highest in the Room," and for the wild mosh pits at his concerts, has been flexing his philanthropic arms.

WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices rose in February at the fastest pace in nearly seven years as strong demand for housing collided with a tight supply of homes on the market.