National Business

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index moved to within reach of a record high as cannabis and renewable energy stocks got a lift from Democrats winning control of the U.S. Senate and crude oil closed above US$50 a barrel.

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials last month supported providing advance notice before the central bank makes changes to its $120 billion in monthly bond purchases.

TORONTO — Torstar Corp. is entering into a partnership with retailer Golf Town to acquire ScoreGolf Magazine and related content. The recently privatized owner of the Toronto Star says it has joined with Golf Town Ltd.

TORONTO — DesRosiers Automotive Consultants Inc. says that 1.54 million cars and trucks were sold in Canada in 2020, falling 19.7 per cent from 2019 to the lowest level since 2009. The consultancy says auto sales fell 2.

Walgreens Boots Alliance will sell its pharmaceutical wholesale business to AmerisourceBergen in a $6.5 billion cash and stock deal.

TORONTO — After seeing buyers compete with multiple offers on homes across the Greater Toronto Area, real estate agent Navid Rashid is recovering from an unusually busy December that capped an unusually busy year.

TORONTO — SIR Corp. says it has made an offer to take the SIR Royalty Income Fund private in a deal worth about $30 million.

OTTAWA — Shopify Inc. plans to double its engineering team this year and has appointed a new vice-president to help it reach that goal. The Ottawa-based e-commerce company says it will hire 2,021 new employees this year to work in technical roles.

LONDON — A British judge on Wednesday denied bail to WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange, ordering him to remain in a high-security prison while U.K. courts decide whether he will be sent to the United States to face espionage charges.

CALGARY — The Calgary company building the Keystone XL pipeline is inviting oil shippers to bid for capacity expected to be made available when it opens in about two years despite a vow by the incoming U.S. president to halt the project.