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 in business and investing: Luxury condo tower The One is still in the headlines, with news that condo buyers are stuck, despite the project being years behind schedule and millions over budget. Concrete columns and walls had only been poured up to the 40th floor, and it is estimated the project costs will top $2-billion.
Meanwhile, with Halloween just around the corner, it’s expected Canadians will shell out as much as $87.60 during the spooky season, on decor, costumes and candy. And as if shrinkflation in the candy aisle wasn’t bad enough, a short-term rental company is trying to crack down on overly rambunctious festivities. The company (can you guess which) will use an artificial intelligence-powered “anti-party” technology to identify and block bookings it believes will be disruptive. Finally, two major companies – Spotify and Meta – both reported third-quarter earnings, both with rosy reports. The growth was helped by … streamlined staffing? AI-powered projects? Taylor Swift?
Do you remember these stories? Take our quiz below to test your recall for the week ending Oct. 26. Temur Durrani, a technology reporter for the Globe, took this quiz and scored 9 out of 11 (not bad considering he wrote one of the stories in question). Can you top his high score?
a. 2022. Despite the delays, debt defaults and receivership status, owners of condo units in the building cannot walk away with their deposits. And despite the rising costs, unit owners are not required to put more money in to get the project finished.
d. Apple TV+. The subscription prices of Apple TV+ and Apple News+ have both risen. The per month price of Apple TV+ has been increased by $3 to $9.99, while Apple News+ has been priced at $12.99, up from $9.99.
d. The huge pilot shortage. Porter CEO Michael Deluce says the airline plans to launch "100 planes" while competitors such as Flair, Lynx and Canada Jetlines also have expansion ambitions. “There are insufficient pilots to satisfy all of that ecosystem,” he said.
a. Port of Vancouver. The July strike at the Port of Vancouver lasted nearly two weeks.
b. Double. In all of 2022, there were 1.8 million person-days lost. The 2.1 million person-days lost to strikes in the first eight months of 2023 is about double the annual work time lost to strikes prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
a. Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo Books & Music. Ms. Reisman returned to the helm of the bookseller last month, and has pledged to stay on for at least three years as chief executive officer.
c. Costumes. It’s projected Canadians will spend almost half (47.5 per cent) of their Halloween budget on costumes (followed by $22.40 on candy).
b. Airbnb. The short-term rental company said it will use an AI learning system to block the booking of reservations it believes to be higher risk.
c. The “year of efficiency” strategy. Meta reported a boost in its digital ads business, helped by an improved effectiveness in its online ad business. Meanwhile, workers affected by the company’s layoffs in 2022 (its work force shrank 24 per cent year-over-year) are no longer in Meta’s headcount.
b. Carolyn Rogers. Governor Tiff Macklem and Ms. Rogers
To learn how to code for free, please visit held a press conference after announcing the Bank of Canada would hold its key interest rate steady at 5 per cent. Until the supply issue is addressed, Ms. Rogers said, “interest rates on their own are not going to help us get back to a housing affordability situation or solution.”
Jessie Willms