National Business

TORONTO — North American stock markets rose on optimism fuelled by strong U.S. retail sales numbers that suggest consumers aren't deterred by high inflation. October sales beat expectations as they rose 1.7 per cent, compared with a 0.

Record rainfall in British Columbia has flooded communities and washed away roads in what experts say is part of an increasingly costly trend that both homeowners and renters need to better prepare for. "Effectively what we’re seeing in B.C.

OTTAWA — A senior Bank of Canada official says the pandemic has made assessing job market conditions and inflationary pressures more difficult, creating further uncertainty around when inflation will return to its two per cent target.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans have taken a darker view of the economy as inflation has worsened. Yet so far, they appear no less willing to spend freely at retailers — an encouraging sign for the crucial holiday shopping season.

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick's government is projecting that the fiscal 2021-22 year will end in a $89.1-million surplus instead of the $244.8-million deficit that had been estimated in the last budget.

TORONTO — Jenna Young began avoiding her finances after graduating with student debt from her law degree in 2015.

In its heyday, Le Château had nine stores along a roughly three-kilometre stretch of Ste-Catherine Street in Montreal. The Canadian retailer was a staple of nearly every mall and shopping district in the country, with 240 locations at its peak.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. industrial production rebounded in October as automakers, stung by supply chain problems, posted strong increases and the adverse effects from a hurricane that struck the nation's energy complex in the Gulf of Mexico faded.

OTTAWA — Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the annual pace of housing starts in October fell compared with September.

TORONTO — A new company backed by a former Bank of Canada governor wants to help Canadians co-own real estate through investments valued at just 2.5 per cent of a property's value.