National Business

CALGARY — Nearly a century after the mass agricultural disaster known as the Dirty '30s, drought conditions on the Prairies are once again raising the risk that farmers' valuable topsoil will go blowing in the wind.

TORONTO — Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week: CN results Canadian National Railway Co. will report its fourth-quarter results after markets close on Tuesday.

OTTAWA — As the Bank of Canada gears up to announce its next interest rate decision Wednesday, economists will be on the lookout for any clues on when it plans to start cutting interest rates. Overall, Wednesday shouldn't bring any big surprises.

TORONTO — Lower interest rates are coming for some of the most expensive forms of debt as the federal government pushes forward on a law to reduce them.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S.

Loblaw Cos. Ltd. is reversing course on a decision to reduce its discounts on grocery items nearing their best-before date.

CALGARY — North American natural gas prices continued their downward slide this week, in spite of frigid winter conditions that gripped much of the continent. Even as natural gas-fired furnaces blazed in homes and businesses across the U.S.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (20,906.52, up 149.79 points): Royal Bank of Canada. (TSX:RY). Finance. Up $1.29, or 0.97 per cent, to $133.81 on 12.0 million shares.

TORONTO — Strength in financial, utilities and technology stocks helped the TSX gain almost 150 points Friday, while U.S. markets broadly rose on the back of technology, with the S&P 500 rallying 1.2 per cent to hit a new all-time record high.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street returned to record heights Friday to cap a punishing, two-year round trip dogged by high inflation and worries about a recession that seemed inevitable but hasn’t arrived.