National Business

TORONTO — North American stock markets fell back after a strong morning to start December on persistent worries about the latest COVID-19 variant and the likelihood for the Fed to speed up its stimulus tapering.

MONTREAL — Shares in National Bank of Canada closed down Wednesday as it reported a rise in earnings and a boost to its dividend that came in below analyst expectations. The Montreal-based bank ended down $3.43, or 3.46 per cent, at $95.

CALGARY — The restart of the Trans Mountain pipeline is "only a few days away," according to the company working to get the critical piece of infrastructure back up and running ever since a precautionary shutdown on Nov.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa's new cases of COVID-19 nearly doubled in a day, authorities reported Wednesday, signaling a dramatic surge in the country where scientists detected the omicron variant last week.

CALGARY — The Calgary Real Estate Board says home sales soared by nearly 47 per cent last month, just shy of a November record set in 2005. The board says home sales for the month amounted to 2,110, up from 1,437 during November 2020.

TORONTO — Roughly two-thirds of Canadians are seriously considering leaving their job because of issues such as compensation, declining job satisfaction, and overall well-being, a new survey has found.

EDMONTON — AutoCanada Inc. says it has bought 11 auto dealerships from the Autopoint Group in southwestern Ontario. Financial terms of the deal were not immediately available.

TORONTO — Ontario’s auditor general says some cannabis products are often out of stock because the province’s pot retailer is inaccurately forecasting inventory levels.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a fresh sign of his growing concerns about inflation, Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the Federal Reserve can't be sure that price increases will slow in the second half of next year as many economists expect.

TORONTO — Royal Bank of Canada raised its dividend Wednesday as it reported a rise in fourth-quarter profits from last year, though it said earnings were hit by lower margins in part from low interest rates and heightened competition.