National Business

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index effectively broke even Thursday after paring back losses over the afternoon, while U.S. stock markets rose, with the Nasdaq leading the way.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rallied into the close on Wall Street, pushing the S&P 500 up 0.9%, as several companies reported better-than-expected results. The Nasdaq composite led the market with a 1.

The clock is ticking on an impending pilot strike at WestJet and its Swoop subsidiary, threatening the long weekend travel plans of thousands of passengers.

OTTAWA — The federal government has finalized agreements with Visa and Mastercard that will see small businesses pay lower credit card transaction fees, it announced Thursday.

Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says he has no plans to cut interest rates any time soon, even as higher rates intensify risks associated with household debt and vulnerabilities in the Canadian financial system.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired 30 cruise missiles against different parts of Ukraine early Thursday in the latest nighttime test of Ukrainian air defenses, which shot down 29 of them, officials said.

VANCOUVER — Telus says it's offering buyouts to a large group of employees and anticipates several hundred workers will take them.

Shoppers are once again queuing up outside Canada Goose stores amid a strong rebound in foot traffic and demand for the luxury parka maker's expanding collection, the company said Thursday.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A persistently low inventory of homes on the market held back U.S. home sales again in April, even as the national median sale price posted its biggest annual drop in 11 years. Existing home sales fell 3.

When Lightspeed Commerce Inc.'s chief executive surveys the months ahead, he sees it as "a year of two halves." "The first half of the year for us is going to be more costly, slower growth, but then the second half of the year for us...