National Business

TORONTO — The parent company of the master franchisee of Tim Hortons coffee shops in China says it has signed a deal for the exclusive development of Popeyes in mainland China and Macau. TH International Ltd.

TORONTO — Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. says its share of the latest quarterly profit of the asset management business it owns with Brookfield Corp. amounted to US$19 million.

TORONTO — Automakers have made high-profile price cuts for some of the most well-known electric cars this year, but experts say the overall sticker shock of buying vehicles will prove harder to remove.

TORONTO — Brookfield Reinsurance has signed a deal to buy Argo Group International Holdings for US$1.1 billion in cash. Argo is a U.S. focused underwriter of specialty insurance products.

LONDON (AP) — Microsoft’s stalled $68.7 billion deal to buy video game company Activision Blizzard has hit a fresh hurdle in the United Kingdom, where the antitrust watchdog said Wednesday that it will stifle competition and hurt gamers.

TORONTO — TMX Group Ltd. is proposing to split its shares on a five-for-one basis. The operator of the Toronto Stock Exchange says it believes the split may encourage greater liquidity for its shares. Shares in the company closed at $133.

MONTREAL — Héroux-Devtek Inc. reported a profit of $1.8 million in its latest quarter, down from $6.5 million a year earlier as its sales climbed higher.

VANCOUVER — West Fraser Timber Co. says it's curtailing operations at Cariboo Pulp & Paper in Quesnel, B.C., beginning in mid-April for one month and then for another month in the third quarter.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that if the U.S.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index gained almost 100 points Tuesday as strong performance in the energy sector was dragged down by losses in telecom and utilities, while U.S. markets also rose. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 96.