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Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s business and investing news quiz. Join us each week to test your knowledge of the stories making the headlines. Our business reporters come up with the questions, and you can show us what you know.

This week: Ford Motor Co. announced it would postpone the launch of electric vehicles at its plant in Oakville, Ont., by two years until 2027. The plant west of Toronto is still slated to shut down for the $1.8-billion EV retooling in May, which will mean layoffs for its 2,700 workers. Meanwhile, Dollarama Inc. reported a 24-per-cent increase in profit in the fourth quarter, as Canadians turned to discount retailers to mitigate challenges caused by inflation. And the federal government announced a $1.5-billion fund to protect rental units by acquiring existing rental properties.

Also: Both Taylor Swift and the CEO of Loblaws were rewarded for their performance, albeit of different kinds.


1Congratulations Taylor Swift! The pop star joined Forbes World’s Billionaires List for the first time this week. According to the updated list, how many billionaires are there worldwide?
a. About 1,000
b. About 1,600
c. About 2,200
d. About 2,800

d. About 2,800. Ms. Swift, with an estimated fortune of US$1.1-billion, is one of a record 2,781 billionaires on the Forbes 2024 list.

2The Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion has been under construction for more than four years. The project, which is the federal government’s attempt to ship more Alberta oil to the west coast, announced this week it will finally go into commercial service on:
a. May 1
b. Aug. 1
c. Jan. 1, 2025
d. Not until sometime in 2026

a. May 1. The expansion has cost more than $34-billion. It will more than double the pipeline’s existing capacity.

3Taiga Motors Corp. made headlines this week after the Quebec manufacturer:
a. Reported record sales of its electric snowmobiles
b. Lost half its market value
c. Changed chief executives
d. Announced it was diversifying into battery production

b. Lost half its market value. Taiga shares fell 53 per cent on Wednesday after the Canadian maker of electric snowmobiles and personal watercraft suspended production and reported disappointing financial results.

4Which software company was the target of a scathing report this week on the “cascade of errors” that allowed Chinese cyber operators to break into the e-mail accounts of senior U.S. officials?
a. Meta Platforms
b. Alphabet
c. Microsoft
d. Oracle

c. Microsoft. The report from the Cyber Safety Review Board describes shoddy security practices and a lax corporate culture at Microsoft. It also says the company showed a lack of sincerity when describing its knowledge of the security breach.

5That’s a lot of bread: How much did Loblaw Cos. Ltd. pay Per Bank, its new chief executive, in 2023?
a. $30-million
b. $22-million
c. $14-million
d. $6-million

b. $22-million. Mr. Bank collected $22.1-million last year, although $18-million of that was a one-time award designed to replace compensation he forfeited by resigning from his previous employer in Denmark.

6Which of the following assets has had the biggest percentage gain so far this year?
a. Gold
b. Bitcoin
c. Cocoa
d. Nvidia shares

c. Cocoa is the runaway winner. As of Thursday morning, cocoa futures had gained 124 per cent since the start of the year in U.S. dollar terms. Nvidia (up 80 per cent), bitcoin (up 55 per cent) and gold (up 12 per cent) languished far behind.

7What iconic U.S. company finally saw an end this week to a hugely expensive boardroom battle mounted by a dissident shareholder?
a. Disney
b. Tesla
c. Citigroup
d. General Electric

a. Disney shareholders supported Robert Iger, the company’s chief executive, and rebuffed activist investor Nelson Peltz. The two sides spent more than US$65-million fighting the proxy battle, according to the Financial Times.

8Collegiate basketball fans are used to paying lofty prices for tickets to the NCAA Final Four championships. But what is unusual about the resale market for this year’s tickets?
a. Prices are lower than last year’s
b. Prices are below the ticket’s face value
c. Tickets are being sold on a blockchain
d. Tickets to the women’s Final Four cost more than tickets to the men’s

d. Tickets to the women’s Final Four cost more. The world has fallen in love with Caitlin Clark, the University of Iowa guard who heaves up shots like ballistic missiles. Her charisma has helped drive the average resale price for a ticket to the women’s semi-final to twice the level of a ticket to the men’s semi-finals.

9The federal government announced an ambitious plan this week to help spur home construction. Provinces that want Ottawa’s cash have to agree to:
a. Approve a carbon tax
b. Allow fourplexes by default
c. Commit to hitting construction targets
d. Ensure diversity in their construction workforces

b. Allow fourplexes by default. Ottawa wants provinces to eliminate single-family zoning and allow the widespread construction of fourplexes to help ease the housing shortage. To no one’s surprise, Ontario and Quebec immediately rejected the federal plan as an intrusion into their jurisdictions. And you wondered why we have a housing crisis?

10Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which invests money on behalf of millions of Canadians, said this week it is selling its investment in:
a. Motorcycle racing
b. Soccer
c. Rugby
d. Formula One auto racing

a. Motorcycle racing. CPPIB is selling its stake in Dorna Sports, the Spanish company that owns the rights to the MotoGP racing series, for $1.9-billion. The pension fund said the investment in motorcycle racing “delivered excellent returns” but did not provide details.

11The parent company of payday lender CashMoney has announced:
a. It is doubling the number of its Canadian outlets
b. It is moving into mortgage lending
c. It is closing down half its Canadian outlets because of new restrictions on how much interest it can charge
d. It is running out of cash

d. It is running out of cash. Ironic, isn’t it? CURO Group Holdings Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States, after a lender turned down the payday lender’s request to refinance some of its debt.

12Which classic rock bank sold the rights to its name, music and image this week for an estimated US$300-million?
a. The Guess Who
b. Nine Inch Nails
c. Kiss
d. ABBA

c. Kiss sold its rights to Pophouse, a Swedish entertainment company co-founded by a member of ABBA. Pophouse plans to create a live music show featuring digital versions of the band.

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