National Business

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index slipped lower at the end of Thursday trading as a two-day rally by the heavyweight financials sector concluded with banks being among the biggest decliners on the day.

BILLINGS, Mont. — A U.S. appeals court on Thursday turned down a request by the Trump administration and energy industry groups to revive a permit program for new oil and gas pipelines that had been cancelled by a lower court.

CALGARY — The owners of Canada's private nursing homes are under increasing pressure from investors and critics alike as infections and deaths from the COVID-19 outbreak continue among the country's oldest and most vulnerable citizens.

Sea-Doo maker BRP Inc. is facing a rough ride after the COVID-19 pandemic sank profits last quarter, with the company scrambling to cut costs while ramping up production following factory shutdowns.

TORONTO — Slashed interest rates and a widespread economic shutdown ate into second-quarter profits at Canada's major banks, with financial institutions saying deep wells of cash are needed to protect themselves from the impact of the COVID-19 pandem

NEW YORK — Jonathan Karp, who has worked with authors ranging from Sen. Edward Kennedy to Susan Orlean, has been named the new CEO of Simon & Schuster. He replaces Carolyn Reidy, who died two weeks ago.

MONTREAL — Air Canada has increased the size of a financing deal announced earlier this week to roughly $1.4 billion as it works to bolster its coffers to deal with the pandemic. The company says the shares in the offering have been priced at $16.

BALTIMORE — April had a record collapse in Americans signing contracts to buy homes, a reflection of the broader shutdown of economic activity in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

CALGARY — An elevator salesman in Calgary says two months of working from his house in the northwest part of the city have convinced him there's no place like home to conduct business.

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Irving Oil has signed a deal to buy North Atlantic Refining Corp., including a refinery in Come By Chance, N.L., from U.S. investment firm Silverpeak.