National Business

TORONTO — Mastermind Toys has terminated about 272 employees as the retailer is turned over to new ownership.

MONTREAL — Canadian shippers are starting to feel the strain of recent attacks on cargo vessels in the Red Sea, as container rates rise and boats roll in late on the East Coast.

A new report says the average asking price in December for a rental unit in Canada was a record $2,178 per month, relatively flat from the previous month but an 8.6 per cent jump year-over-year. The data released Monday by Rentals.

OTTAWA — Canadians are increasingly cutting back on spending while mortgage holders remain confident they can keep up with higher payments when their loans renew, a Bank of Canada survey says.

OSHAWA, Ont. — General Motors has named Kristian Aquilina as GM Canada's new president and managing director. The move is a promotion for Aquilina, who was GM Canada' vice-president for vehicle sales, service and marketing.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Houthi rebels fired a missile, striking a U.S.-owned ship Monday just off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden, less than a day after they launched an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea.

With interest rate cuts likely on the horizon, the Canadian Real Estate Association expects the number of homes changing hands this year to grow following a slowdown in 2023.

NEW YORK (AP) — Boeing told employees Monday that it plans to increase quality inspections of its 737 Max 9 aircraft, following the failure of an emergency exit door panel on an Alaska Airlines flight last week.

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says manufacturing sales rose 1.2 per cent to $71.7 billion in November, helped by higher sales in the chemical subsector as well as gains in primary metal and machinery groups. Sales of chemical products rose 6.

TORONTO — AGF Management Ltd. has signed a deal to buy a 51 per cent stake in alternative investment firm Kensington Capital Partners Ltd. for $45 million.