National Business

NEW YORK — Dressbarn says it expects to have all its 650 stores closed by the end of this year. The women's clothing chain announced earlier this week that it was shutting all its stores but hadn't given a timeline for the closures until Thursday.

The CEO of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is forcefully defending mortgage stress test rules and warning federal policy-makers to hold the line amid calls for softening the measure from industry associations.

PORTLAND, Maine — Marijuana enthusiasts in Maine used a public hearing Thursday to implore the state to protect the small businesses and growers they think should make up the backbone of its budding cannabis industry.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump rolled out another $16 billion in aid for farmers hurt by his trade policies, and financial markets shook Thursday on the growing realization that the U.S.

Shares of Tesla, suffering one of the worst stretches in company history, rebounded Thursday after CEO Elon Musk told employees that orders are up. The company's stock closed up 1.4% to $195.49 on a volatile day that started out with a loss.

TORONTO — Canada's main stock index suffered its worst day of the year on Thursday as trade uncertainty and a big drop in oil prices weighed heavily on the energy sector. The S&P/TSX composite index closed down 162.74 points to 16,164.

Some of the most active companies traded Thursday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (16,164.61, down 162.74 points ). Encana Corp. (TSX:ECA). Energy. Down 63 cents, or 7.23 per cent, to $8.08 on 10 million shares.

NEW YORK — A banker who prosecutors say tried to buy himself a senior post in President Donald Trump's administration by making risky loans to former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort pleaded not guilty Thursday to a financial institution bribery

TORONTO — Strong growth in Canadian and American retail operations helped TD Bank Group earn an adjusted profit of $3.27 billion in the second quarter, up from $3.06 billion in the same quarter last year.

Royal Bank of Canada saw a big bump in profits last quarter, propelled by loan growth and higher interest rates at its personal and commercial banking business that defied the housing slump.