Manulife’s Bloor Street office in Toronto is seen in this file photo.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Canadian insurer Manulife Financial Corp is "looking at all options" for the future of its John Hancock U.S. unit, new Chief Executive Officer Roy Gori said in an interview on Thursday. Story
DAILY DEALS
AT&T Inc will not sell cable network CNN to win antitrust approval of its proposed $85.4-billion purchase of media company Time Warner Inc and will fight the government in court if the two sides cannot reach an agreement, the wireless company's chief executive said. Story
Qualcomm Inc.has signed $12-billion worth of deals with three Chinese mobile handset makers on the sidelines of a state visit to Beijing by U.S. President Donald Trump. Story (Reuters)
Saudi Aramco signed agreements on Thursday worth $4.5-billion with firms from Europe, the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates for work on a range of oil and gas development projects, mostly aimed at boosting gas production. Story (Reuters)
ELSEWHERE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES
SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said so-called initial coin offerings in many cases looked like securities, raising the prospect the agency will take a more aggressive stance to this red-hot fundraising method. The Wall Street Journal (subscribers)
A survey by venture capital firm Blockchain Capital found that about 30 per cent of those in the 18-to-34 age range would rather own $1,000 worth of Bitcoin than $1,000 of government bonds or stocks. Bloomberg Why bond investors are stock investors' latest concern. Bloomberg
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
With Canadian-owned offshore companies facing increasing scrutiny, a Loblaw Cos. Ltd. affiliate is fighting the Canada Revenue Agency over taxes on the earnings of a Barbadian subsidiary, in a battle that could cost the grocer more than $350-million. Story (Josh O'Kane, subscribers)
HBC says new documentation from Austria-based Signa Holding GmbH outlining the financing it has at its disposal for a $4.5-billion bid for Galeria Kaufhof does not change its view that the approach is unsolicited and offers no formal commitment. Story (Jeffrey Jones, subscribers)
The Canada Infrastructure Bank's inaugural chair said the organization's structure is taking shape and stressed that it will seek out deals with the private sector that might not otherwise get done. Story (Jacqueline Nelson, subscribers)