National Business

Hormel Foods is going nuts. The Austin, Minnesota-based company, known for its meat brands like Spam and Applegate, said Thursday it is buying the Planters nut business from Kraft Heinz Co. for $3.35 billion.

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to 793,000, evidence that job cuts remain high despite a substantial decline in new confirmed viral infections.

HALIFAX — Ottawa is providing $1 million for an undersea testing platform at a Halifax-area ocean research facility.

TORONTO — One of Canada's biggest commercial real estate owners and operators says the sector is struggling with ongoing COVID-19 lockdowns, but most of its tenants have managed to stay open and pay their rent.

BRUSSELS — Despite deep uncertainty over a surge in coronavirus cases and the impact of new variants of the disease, senior European Commission officials on Thursday expressed cautious optimism that European economies will rebound later this year and

LONDON — Royal Dutch Shell, one of the multinationals that has defined the oil industry, is slowly turning away from the fossil fuel that made its fortune over the decades but also worsened a global climate crisis.

CALGARY — Investors applauded with higher stock prices for both Arc Resources Ltd. and Seven Generations Energy Ltd. on Thursday following the announcement of an oilpatch marriage one analyst described as "a merger of high quality equals.

When Catherine Ikeda-Blazys moved next door to her aging parents eight years ago, it was the perfect spot for her to care for them in their golden years.

TORONTO — Brookfield Asset Management Inc. raised its dividend as it reported a fourth-quarter profit of US$1.8 billion, up from US$1.6 billion a year earlier. The asset manager, which keeps its books in U.S.

HALIFAX — Canadians are expected to spend less this Valentine’s Day as COVID-19 lockdowns and ongoing economic uncertainty dampens consumer enthusiasm for the February mass-market holiday, retail experts say.