National Business

LAVAL, Que. — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is boosting its quarterly dividend 12 per cent after reporting strong net earnings in the third quarter that beat expectations.

TORONTO — Canada will avoid a technical recession even as the COVID-19 pandemic curtails consumer and business spending, and oil prices have cratered, the Conference Board of Canada said Tuesday.

TORONTO — North American stock markets partially recovered from Monday's steep losses on co-ordinated actions by central banks and plans for a US$1 trillion stimulus package by the U.S. government. The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 324.

Canada's grocery stores won't run out of food and essentials despite unprecedented demand amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, chief executives of the country's big grocers say.

VICTORIA — School's out indefinitely in British Columbia as the government said Tuesday it is also working on a plan to help businesses and workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

TORONTO — Streaming platforms are joining Hollywood in throwing away the rule book in hopes to attract viewers stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic.

TORONTO — Canada's screen industry is facing significant production shutdowns due to COVID-19, and the country's entertainment unions are calling on the federal government to help their affected workers.

NEW YORK — Reflecting a hunger for information about the coronavirus outbreak, last Thursday's episode of ABC's “World News Tonight” had more viewers than anything that aired in television's prime time last week.

VANCOUVER — HSBC Bank Canada says it will lower its prime lending rate by 50 basis points effective tomorrow. The bank says in a statement the rate will be 2.95 per cent — down from 3.45 per cent.

WASHINGTON — Ahead of an expected surge in coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump on Tuesday moved to blunt the impact of the pandemic on the U.S. economy, fundamentally altered by a push for a nation to stay home.