National Business

WASHINGTON (AP) — Higher energy and housing prices boosted overall U.S. inflation in December, a sign that the Federal Reserve's drive to slow inflation to its 2% target will likely remain a bumpy one.

TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (20,918.40, down 71.02 points): Bitfarms Ltd. (TSX:BITF). Finance. Down 57 cents, or 14.11 per cent, to $3.47 on 12.4 million shares.

A key Flair Airlines investor says a $30-million lawsuit filed against it by plane-leasing firms over claims of missed payments is "premature at best.

TORONTO — Indigo Books & Music Inc. has laid off an unspecified number of staff as part of the retailer's ongoing efforts to streamline its operations.

VANCOUVER — Aritzia Inc.'s stock rose almost 21 per cent on Thursday as the market responded to the company's latest earnings and several analysts upgraded their rating on the company. Shares in the Vancouver-based retailer closed $5.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index posted a modest loss Thursday, weighed down by the financial and utility sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed but essentially flat following the latest consumer inflation report in the U.S.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street drifted to a mixed close after an inflation report forced some investors to push back forecasts for when the Federal Reserve will deliver long-sought cuts to interest rates. The S&P 500 ended down 0.

NEW YORK (AP) — Barred from giving a formal closing argument, Donald Trump still seized an opportunity to speak in court at the conclusion of his New York civil fraud trial Thursday, unleashing a barrage of attacks in a six-minute diatribe before bei

BOSTON (AP) — Online retailer eBay Inc.

MONTREAL — The Quebec Professional Association of Real Estate Brokers says Montreal-area home sales in December fell four per cent compared with the same month a year earlier.