canada

Maple Syrup Heist Hikes Price of a Pancake Breakfast

If you're relaxing at home enjoying a pancake breakfast this New Year's morning, savor it while you can. The brazen theft, over the course of a year, of millions of gallons of maple syrup from Canada's strategic syrup reserve (yes, there apparently is such a thing), could spell higher prices for the "liquid gold" in 2013.

US Mint Testing New Metals to Make Coins Cheaper

When it comes to making coins, the Mint isn't getting its two cents worth. In some cases, it doesn't even get half of that. A penny costs more than two cents and a nickel costs more than 11 cents to make and distribute.

Seeing 2 Kinds of Green Amid the Black Gold of Canada's Oil Sands

When it comes to energy, what we desire is a source that's cheap, reliable and clean -- but so far, there's no way to get all three attributes in one abundant source. And nowhere are the trade-offs that surround those competing desires more obvious than in Canada's oil sands.

Women Investors: Smarter Than the Men in Every Way?

Financial services companies have a habit of publishing "special reports on women and investing," and their conclusions tend to describe women in less-than-flattering terms. But a new TD Ameritrade study once again shows why such stereotypes totally miss the mark.

Weekly Jobless Claims Fell to 355,000

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 355,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The report is a sign the labor market's slow recovery is gaining traction, although Hurricane Sandy's impact on the Northeast may have distorted the data.

Quebec to Big Retailers: Frenchify Your Signs

Walmart and several other leading North American retailers are going to court to fight orders from the Quebec Board of the French Language that their outdoor signs be modified in order to appear "more French."

The Biggest Thing on Sale at Sears? Pieces of Sears

Sear announced this week that it will divest itself of more than 1,000 Hometown and Outlet stores, its latest move to find profits in spin offs. But does Sears have anything left that anyone wants to buy other than pieces of its business?

Pop Quiz: Is America Still the Land of Economic Opportunity?

"Moving on up" is a fundamental part of America's identity, but the path from rags to riches is getting harder to navigate. To gauge the state of American promise, we dug into the numbers: Take our quiz to find out if American hope lives up to American hype.

Oh, Canada! Americans' Northern Neighbors Are Now Richer

The U.S. may be the "land of opportunity," but Canadians are making out better. In the past five years, the net worth of Canadian households has surpassed that of their American counterparts for the first time. And the reasons why will be as depressing for Americans as the news itself.

Look Who's Buying America Now!

While Americans are still reeling from the housing bust, people from around the globe are scooping up cheap American homes. Over the 12 months that ended in March, nearly 9% of all real estate spending in the U.S. was done by buyers from abroad. Is it "Rising Sun" all over again?

The 10 Happiest Countries in the World

Once again, 24/7 Wall St. has examined the OECD's report on life satisfaction. And once again, the United States fails to make the top 10 happiest nations in the world. Which countries do? Some may surprise you.

5 Things You Need to Know About Netflix Right Now

Netflix impressed skeptical investors with better-than-expected results on Wednesday night. If you want to know why the stock rallied on the news but you don't want to get your hands dirty by scouring the report, here are your answers.

Netflix's New Goal: Rule Britannia, and Ireland Too

Netflix hopes its latest move doesn't turn out to resemble a British comedy. The video buffet operator introduced its streaming service in Ireland and the U.K. on Monday. And while overseas expansion is old hat for Netflix, this time, the challenges are bigger.