Noah Zivitz

Managing Editor, BNN Bloomberg

Archive

Canada's economy unexpectedly shrank in October as spillover from the stateside General Motors strike took a toll on the manufacturing sector. Overall gross domestic product fell 0.1 per cent in the month, the first contraction since February. It wasn't universally negative — indeed, there was a strong showing by real estate agents in October, and 13 of the 20 sectors tracked by Statistics Canada showed growth. But today's GDP news adds to a stretch of disappointing data in the country after Friday's dismal retail sales report and the weak jobs data for November.

BOEING REPLACES CEO

Dennis Muilenburg is out as the chief executive of Boeing. He’ll be replaced by the planemaker’s current chairman, David Calhoun, on Jan. 13, and by CFO Greg Smith immediately on an interim basis. In a brief release, Boeing said its board decided the leadership change was “necessary to restore confidence” in the beleaguered company that’s been struggling to manage the fallout from global groundings of its 737 Max jet.

POT HEIST

Aleafia Health reported a theft of its pot over the weekend. The Toronto-based cannabis firm said a vehicle belonging to a third-party carrier that’d been hired to haul recreational products to wholesale facilities was stolen. Aleafia says all relevant authorities have been notified and that the shipment’s value isn’t material. But it certainly raises important questions about safeguarding the country’s adult-use pot. Who’s shipping the stuff? What kind of insurance policies are available to producers? We’ll look into that.

CHINA CUTS TARIFFS

The Chinese government announced a sweeping round of tariff cuts overnight, affecting almost 900 products, including frozen pork and pharmaceuticals, whose import value last year totalled US$389 billion. The finance ministry touted the move as helping to open China’s economy.

WELCOME BACK…

We’ve got a holiday surprise coming up on BNN Bloomberg. Stay tuned for the return of a familiar face, who’ll be stopping by The Open today for a teaser this morning.

OTHER NOTABLE STORIES

-Shares of Lions Gate Entertainment jumped at the start of trading after NBCUniversal announced a long-term pact with the studio, including a licensing agreement for NBC’s Peacock streaming service.

-Cam Battley, who in many respects was the face of Aurora Cannabis, has stepped down from his role as the pot producer’s chief corporate officer. Separately, Aurora today said it has started shipping 2.0 products, which it expects to be on store shelves early next month.  

-Brookfield Infrastructure is buying Cincinnati Bell in an all-cash deal worth US$2.6 billion, including debt. Cincinnati Bell is a telecom service provider operating in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Hawaii.

-CI Financial is making good on its previously-stated plan to expand in the U.S.: This morning it said it’s buying a majority stake in One Capital Management, a California-based registered investment advisory firm with US$1.6 billion in assets.

NOTABLE RELEASES/EVENTS

-Notable data: U.S. durable goods orders, U.S. new home sales

Every morning BNN Bloomberg's Managing Editor Noah Zivitz writes a ‘chase note’ to BNN Bloomberg's editorial staff listing the stories and events that will be in the spotlight that day. Have it delivered to your inbox before the trading day begins by heading to www.bnnbloomberg.ca/subscribe.