Here are five things you need to know this morning
Infrastructure announcement: Prime Minister Mark Carney will make his much-anticipated announcement of the next batch of major projects the government is submitting for fast-track approval. There are multiple reports the projects will include Ontario’s Crawford Nickel Project, the Sisson Mine in New Brunswick, the Nouveau Monde Graphite Phase 2 project in Quebec, a major electricity transmission line in British Columbia, and the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project (LNG), near where Carney is making his announcement.
U.S. government shutdown ends: The U.S. government is set to take the first tentative steps towards re-opening Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the longest federal shutdown in American history. The freeze lasted 43 days and left more than 600,000 workers unpaid. The deal also restores federal workers fired by Trump during the shutdown. The extended stoppage caused investors to fly blind without key economic reports, such as the October jobs report and inflation data, and contributed to the market’s recent choppiness.
Manulife’s new strategy: Manulife has unveiled a new expansion strategy. The Canadian insurance and investing giant is launching the Manulife Longevity Institute, which would provide research and an investment platform backed by a $350 million commitment through 2030. It would be geared toward helping people reportedly live longer, healthier lives and fill gaps in retirement and health care. Manulife is also expanding its footprint in India through a partnership with Mahindra & Mahnidra Ltd. to enter the Indian insurance market. The company also released its latest quarterly financial results, with adjusted profit topping analyst estimates. We’ll find out more when we speak with Manulife’s CEO Phil Witherington Friday on The Street at 8:30 a.m. ET.
AtkinsRealis sees nuclear boost: We’ll be watching shares of AtkinsRealis today. The Montreal-based engineering and project management company posted higher profit in its most recent quarter, as well as revenue that topped expectations. Atkins also raised its outlook for its nuclear division, and now expects revenue of up to $2.3 billion driven by strong backlog and continued revenue growth. The company’s CEO will also be on The Street Friday on BNN Bloomberg.
Disney results disappoint: Shares of Disney came under pressure in pre-market trading. The media and theme park giant reported revenue in its fourth quarter that missed estimates. Sales in its entertainment and experiences segments also disappointed investors. Disney says studio expenses will weigh on results for the first quarter of its new fiscal year.
