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1The Dow Jones Industrial
Average crossed the 25,000-point threshold in 2018, but it also
suffered a number of sharp one-day drops. What date saw the largest
of these?
a) Feb. 5
b) Feb. 8
c) March 22
d) Oct. 10
e) Dec. 24
Answer: Feb. 5
2Canada’s largest full-service
restaurant company, Cara Operations Ltd., bought Keg Restaurants
Ltd. in early 2018 for about $200-million in cash and shares.
In May, Cara changed its name to help it move away from any connections
with its past business of providing airline food. What is its
new name?
a) Restaurant Brands International
b) Recipe Unlimited
c) Goodfood Market
d) HelloFresh
e) The Keg Brands Group
Answer: Recipe Unlimited
3After British Columbia
proposed rules that would effectively prevent Kinder Morgan’s
Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley
moved to block imports of $70-million worth of what from B.C.?
a) Cannabis
b) Lumber
c) Wine
d) Salmon
e) Nanaimo bars
Answer: Wine
4Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Ltd. chairman Larry Tanenbaum teamed up with former NBA player
Ulysses (Junior) Bridgeman this year to purchase what?
a) The Canadian Frito-Lay packaging plant
b) Pwdr Group, which manufactures Gatorade’s protein powder
line Essntl
c) Coca-Cola’s Canadian bottling and distribution network
d) A 50-per-cent stake in Drake’s Toronto restaurant Pick 6ix
e) Joe’s Floors, which maintains the basketball court at the
Scotiabank Arena
Answer: Coca-Cola Co.’s Canadian bottling and distribution network
5The U.S. International
Trade Commission struck down punishing duties on imports of Bombardier’s
C Series airliners into the United States. What was the proposed
duty?
a) 25 per cent
b) 75 per cent
c) 100 per cent
d) 300 per cent
e) 500 per cent
Answer: 300 per cent
6Which shopping centre was
home to the first Nordstrom Rack outlet in Canada?
a) Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga
b) Deerfoot Meadows in Calgary
c) South Edmonton Common in Edmonton
d) Vaughan Mills in Vaughan, Ont.
e) Ottawa Train Yards in Ottawa
Answer: Vaughan Mills in Vaughan, Ont.
7In response to a petition
signed by more than 5,000 people, Mountain Equipment Co-op announced
in March that it would stop selling products under the umbrella
of Vista Outdoor Inc. Vista is a Utah firm that owns Savage Arms,
a company that makes assault rifles similar to the gun used in
a mass shooting at a Florida high school. What other Vista product
line was removed by MEC?
a) Nike
b) The North Face
c) Osprey
d) CamelBak
e) Petzl
Answer: CamelBak
8Which of the companies
below did not have a CEO change in 2018?
a) WestJet
b) MEG Energy
c) Canadian National Railway
d) Hydro One
e) Sobeys
Answer: Sobeys
9Ian Power became one of
the first people in Canada in nearly a century to own a gram
of legal recreational cannabis after lining up for hours at Canopy
Growth’s Tweed store in St. John’s. What was the name of the
strain he chose?
a) Bakerstreet
b) Penelope
c) Highlands
d) Boaty McBoatface
e) Donegal
Answer: Donegal
10Two of Canada’s largest
unions took a company to task this year for dress-code requirements
it argued were sexist. What employer was at the centre of the
dispute?
a) Royal Bank of Canada
b) Air Canada
c) Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
d) Restaurant Brands International
e) Rogers Communications
Answer: Air Canada
11Which telecom company
launched a discount wireless brand this year called Fizz?
a) Videotron
b) Bell
c) Rogers
d) Shaw
e) Telus
Answer: Videotron
12Statistics Canada is seeking
greater access to private-sector consumer data to improve its
reports. The federal Privacy Commissioner launched an investigation
when Statscan asked which sector to provide it with customer
records?
a) Telecom
b) Nursing homes
c) Restaurant
d) Banking
e) Technology
Answer: Banking
13In Leger’s annual ranking
of companies by reputation, which of the following did not make
the Top 10?
a) Hudson’s Bay
b) Shoppers Drug Mart
c) Canadian Tire
d) Dollarama
e) Kraft
Answer: Hudson’s Bay
14In an unusual move, Spotify
went public with a direct listing. How did the shares perform
on their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange?
a) Up 24.2 per cent
b) Up 12.9 per cent
c) Up 4.6 per cent
d) Up 2.5 per cent
e) Down 1.2 per cent
Answer: Up 12.9 per cent
15Enbridge Inc. made good
on its promise to streamline its corporate structure this year,
buying out its four publicly traded subsidiaries for $11.4-billion
in stock. Which of these entities was NOT one of the four?
a) Spectra Energy Partners
b) Enbridge Energy Partners
c) Enbridge Energy Capital
d) Enbridge Energy Management
e) Enbridge Income Fund Holdings
Answer: Enbridge Energy Capital
16“To the very end, he had
a brain as sharp as can be. We all dream of the kind of energy
he had at his age.” Who were these comments about?
a) Sergio Marchionne
b) Steve Allen
c) Jim Shaw
d) Peter Munk
e) John McCain
Answer: Peter Munk
17“The internet is growing
in importance around the world in people’s lives, and I think
that it is inevitable that there will need to be some regulation.”
Which tech CEO said it?
a) Microsoft’s Satya Nadella
b) Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
c) Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
d) Twitter’s Jack Dorsey
e) Alphabet’s Larry Page
Answer: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
18A Globe and Mail analysis
found a record amount of borrowing in HELOCs. What does HELOC
stand for?
a) Heavy exposure liability on capital
b) Hedged estimated liquidity on capital
c) Huge, extremely lucrative ordinary credit
d) Home equity line of credit
e) High equity, leveraged offset collateral
Answer: Home equity line of credit
19Which Canadian company
formed a partnership with ride-sharing service Lyft, investing
US$200-million to develop self-driving technology?
a) Magna International
b) Linamar
c) Martinrea International
d) ABC Group
e) Multimatic
Answer: Magna International
20New legislation in Britain
required companies to disclose gender pay gaps. Which Canadian
company with operations in the U.K. had the highest disparity,
with female employees in Britain receiving 48 per cent less than
men (and 84 per cent less on bonuses)?
a) Bombardier
b) Toronto-Dominion Bank
c) CGI
d) BlackBerry
e) Thomson Reuters
Answer: Toronto-Dominion Bank
21Prices for a widely followed
heavy-oil benchmark plummeted due to Canada’s pipeline capacity
shortage. What is the benchmark called?
a) Western Canada Select
b) Canadian Western Select
c) Western Canadian Select
d) Select Canadian Western
e) Western Canadian Sludge
Answer: Western Canadian Select
22A “penny stock” usually
refers to a company with a stock price of less than $1. Which
of the following fell below that threshold in 2018?
a) General Electric
b) J.C. Penney
c) Torstar
d) A, B and C
e) B and C
Answer: J.C. Penney and Torstar
23How many times did the
Bank of Canada raise its key interest rate this year?
a) 0
b) 1
c) 2
d) 3
e) 4
Answer: 3
24On April 27, something
unusual happened at the Toronto Stock Exchange. What was it?
a) All the TSX-listed energy companies gained exactly 12 per
cent
b) Three cannabis companies went public on the same day
c) Bausch Health Companies reverted to trading under its former
name, Valeant Pharmaceuticals
d) Trading was halted due to technical problems, leading to
the exchange being shut down early
e) Justin Bieber made a celebrity appearance
Answer: Trading was halted due to technical problems, leading to the exchange being shut down early
25Although Toys “R” Us closed
its doors this year in the United States, its Canadian counterpart
survives. What entity purchased the Canadian stores?
a) CPPIB
b) Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
c) Onex Corp.
d) Jim Pattison Group
e) Fairfax Financial
Answer: Fairfax Financial
26Which company was NOT
the subject of a proxy battle this past year?
a) Crescent Point Energy
b) Maxar
c) DavidsTea
d) Detour Gold
e) Campbell Soup
Answer: Maxar
27Looking for cash to pay
down its debt, DHX Media sold 49 per cent of its interest in
which franchise?
a) PawPatrol
b) Peanuts
c) Teletubbies
d) Strawberry Shortcake
e) Caillou
Answer: Peanuts
28Which Canadian marijuana
company had a particularly volatile trading day in September,
with its share price nearly doubling before losing half its value
(and triggering five trading halts)?
a) Cronos
b) Aphria
c) Canopy
d) Aurora
e) Tilray
Answer: Tilray
29In May, Canada's billionaire
Desmarais family announced it would turn Montreal-based La Presse
into an independent, not-for-profit news organization. Desmarais-controlled
Power Corp. made a contribution as it cut La Presse loose. How
much did it donate?
a) $1-million
b) $10-million
c) $50-million
d) $100-million
e) $1-billion
Answer: $50-million
30Which grocery store announced
it would buy Ontario chain Farm Boy for $800-million?
a) Sobeys Inc. parent Empire Co. Ltd.
b) Loblaw Cos. Ltd.
c) Metro Inc.
d) Whole Foods Market Inc.
e) Walmart Canada Corp.
Answer: Sobeys Inc. parent Empire Co. Ltd.
31“Feel the market, don’t
just go by meaningless numbers.” Who tweeted it?
a) Warren Buffett
b) Elon Musk
c) Jack Dorsey
d) Donald Trump
e) Jerome Powell
Answer: Donald Trump
32“Am considering taking
[company] private at $420. Funding secured.” Who tweeted it?
a) Warren Buffett
b) Elon Musk
c) Jack Dorsey
d) Donald Trump
e) Mark Zuckerberg
Answer: Elon Musk
33The U.S. granted Canada
a key concession in late September that helped pave the way for
a new North American trade deal. What was it?
a) The U.S. agreed to drop its tariffs on Canadian steel and
aluminum
b) The U.S. allowed Canada to keep its duties on consumer purchases
from the U.S. at current levels
c) The U.S. backed off its demand to end the Chapter 19 dispute-resolution
system
d) The U.S. dropped its demand for more access to Canada’s dairy
market
e) The U.S. offered to give Canada the U.S. version of Netflix
Answer: The U.S. backed off its demand to end the Chapter 19 dispute-resolution system
34In 2012, Ontario Teachers’
Pension Plan bought a 70-per-cent stake of apparel brand Helly
Hansen for a reported $326-million. Canadian Tire bought Helly
Hansen in 2018. What was the sale price?
a) $400-million
b) $508-million
c) $725-million
d) $985-million
e) $1.04-billion
Answer: $985-million
35General Motors said it
plans to close its Oshawa, Ont., assembly plant in late 2019.
What models are assembled at the plant?
a) Chevrolet Bolt and Chevrolet Volt
b) Chevrolet Impala and Chevrolet Malibu
c) Chevrolet Cruze and Cadillac XT4
d) Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS
e) Chevrolet Camaro and Cadillac XT4
Answer: Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac XTS
36In September, the parent
company of Tim Hortons took what action against the head of a
franchisee association that had battled the company over costs
and management issues?
a) The company seized his Tim Hortons stores and locked him
out
b) The company forced him to switch his Tim Hortons stores to
Popeyes outlets
c) The company cut off the supply of coffee, doughnuts and other
foods to his stores
d) The company filed suit against him, alleging he failed to
meet contractual obligations
e) The company forced him to eat a 40-pack of Timbits in 10
minutes
Answer: The company seized his Tim Hortons stores and locked him out
37RioCan REIT and Hudson’s
Bay entered talks to redevelop what property?
a) The site of the former Eaton’s store in Toronto’s Eaton Centre
b) A vacant site owned by both companies on Montreal’s Saint-Catherine
Street
c) The site of HBC’s store in downtown Vancouver
d) A retail property in the Bronx owned by HBC and leased by
WeWork
e) The vacation home of HBC executive chairman Richard Baker
Answer: The site of HBC’s store in downtown Vancouver
38Bombardier announced a
deal in November to sell what part of the business?
a) The C Series jetliner program
b) A manufacturing centre for train equipment in Sweden
c) The Global 7500 business jet division
d) The Q Series turboprop program
e) A and B
Answer: The Q Series turboprop program
39Auto parts magnate Frank
Stronach and his wife, Elfriede, filed an extraordinary lawsuit
against daughter Belinda Stronach. Which of the following is
NOT one of the claims in the suit?
a) That Belinda used company money for personal and family expenses
b) That Belinda bought an expensive office near downtown Toronto
the company didn’t need
c) That Belinda spent more than $5-million in corporate funds
on a party at the Kentucky Derby
d) That Belinda blocked her father from getting capital for
his beef ranch and related businesses
e) That Belinda put the company’s private jet for sale without
asking his permission
Answer: That Belinda spent more than $5-million in corporate funds on a party at the Kentucky Derby
40Amazon decided to split
its much-coveted “HQ2” between two sites. Which ones?
a) New York and Washington
b) New York and Arlington, Va.
c) New York and Arlington, Tex.
d) Arlington, Tex., and Washington
e) Atlanta and Toronto
Answer: New York and Arlington, Va.
41Why did the province of
Alberta decide to suspend issuing licences for new cannabis stores?
a) There wasn’t enough legal cannabis available to serve the
existing stores
b) Two chains were caught opening up new locations without a
licence
c) A number of stores had quality-control problems, causing
a few customers to get sick
d) Local municipalities sued the province, saying they were
not consulted on store locations
e) The province lost a legal challenge on cannabis stores filed
by Loblaw and Rexall
Answer: There wasn’t enough legal cannabis available to serve the existing stores
42Marketing firm Aimia was
trading for nearly $9 in 2017 when Air Canada struck a massive
blow by announcing it would withdraw from Aimia’s Aeroplan loyalty
program. This year, Air Canada did a U-turn and decided instead
to lead a group that would buy Aeroplan. Where did Aimia’s share
price close on Dec. 24, the day the sale won regulatory approval?
a) $4.71
b) $9.60
c) $11.44
d) $3.35
e) $2.50, and available at Dollarama
Answer: $3.35
43Which cannabis producer
became the first Canadian company to list on the Nasdaq exchange?
a) Aurora
b) CannTrust
c) HEXO
d) Aphria
e) Cronos
Answer: Cronos
44Ottawa in May announced
that it would buy the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan
in the largest federal government intervention since the auto
bailout of 2008. What was the price of the deal?
a) $2.4-billion
b) $4.5-billion
c) $5.9-billion
d) $7.1-billion
e) 9.8-billion
Answer: $4.5-billion
45What happened to Michael
Kenyon, Detour Gold’s chief executive officer, after a group
of investors launched a fight to shake up the company’s board
of directors?
a) He was fired
b) He was elevated to chairman
c) He left to take a senior position at Newmont Mining
d) He resigned
e) He quit, then reversed his decision after the new directors
persuaded him to stay
Answer: He resigned
46“I find sports and business
so similar, because they're competitive, you play by the rules
and, in a public company, you keep score, so you really know
if you're doing well against your competitors.” Who said it?
a) Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan
b) BCE chief executive George Cope
c) Madison Square Garden executive chairman James Dolan
d) Guy Laurence, former CEO of Rogers Communications, now CEO
of soccer club Chelsea FC
e) Onex Corp. boss Gerry Schwartz
Answer: BCE Inc. chief executive George Cope
47Apple’s market value topped
US$1-trillion in August during a period of a strong performance
for tech stocks. What was the company worth at the end of the
trading day on Dec. 28?
a) US$741-billion
b) US$680-billion
c) US$854-billion
d) US$696-billion
e) US$714-billion
Answer: US$741-billion
48What did Ontario Premier
Doug Ford use as a nickname for former Hydro One CEO Mayo Schmidt?
a) “The power pig”
b) “Mayo the money man”
c) “The six-million-dollar man”
d) “The hydro hog”
e) “Scheming Schmitty”
Answer: “The six-million-dollar man”
49Who did British MP Jacob
Rees-Mogg refer to as “a second-tier Canadian politician”?
a) Justin Trudeau
b) John Baird
c) Doug Ford
d) Mark Carney
e) Bill Morneau
Answer: Mark Carney
50“I kind of knew that I
was coming into a significant challenge. That’s the reason why
I took [the job]. You would say, ‘This guy is crazy.’ I am a
little bit crazy. You know, I thrive on challenges.” Who said
it?
a) Manulife CEO Roy Gori
b) Empire Co. CEO Michael Medline
c) Rogers Communications CEO Joe Natale
d) Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare
e) Randgold Resources CEO Mark Bristow
Answer: Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare
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