National Business

LAVAL, Que. — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. has signed a €3.1 billion deal to acquire more than 2,000 service stations from French oil giant TotalEnergies SE.

GENEVA (AP) — Credit Suisse shares surged Thursday after the Swiss central bank agreed to loan the bank up to 50 billion francs ($54 billion) to bolster confidence in the country’s second-biggest lender following the collapse of two U.S. banks .

Fertility preservation, or the freezing of eggs or sperm, is being offered by some employers as part of an expanded suite of fertility and family planning benefits.

LONDON (AP) — British authorities said Thursday that they are banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from government mobile phones on security grounds, following similar moves by the U.S. and European Union .

OTTAWA — Statistics Canada says wholesale sales rose 2.4 per cent to $84.2 billion in January, led by growth in both the machinery, equipment and supplies and food, beverage and tobacco subsectors.

Fewer Americans applied for jobless claims last week as the labor market continues to thrive despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to cool the economy and tamp down inflation. Applications for jobless claims in the U.S.

TORONTO — Aimia Inc. reported a $23.3 million net loss in its most recent quarter, a period that preceded two manufacturing acquisitions. The Toronto-based holding company says its fourth quarter results compared with a net loss of $14.

GENEVA (AP) — Fears about the world banking system spread to Europe on Wednesday as shares in the globally connected Swiss bank Credit Suisse plunged and dragged down other major European lenders in the wake of bank failures in the United States .

CALGARY — Crude oil prices plunged below US$70 and Canadian energy stocks took a beating Wednesday as market chaos continued amid concerns about a spreading bank crisis.

LAVAL, Que. — Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. says it earned US$737.4 million in its third quarter ended Jan. 29, down 1.2 per cent from a year earlier. The Laval, Que.