4
1. The Canadian dollar peaked in intraday trading this year at $1.1024 (U.S.). In what month did it hit this level?
a) November
b) June
c) July
d) October
2. Serious allegations were levelled at yoga-wear retailer Lululemon this year. They were:
a) that CEO Chip Wilson didn't know the meaning of Downward Dog
b) that it was the designer of Borat's bathing suit
c) that there was no seaweed in the textile fibres of some products
d) that there was seaweed in the textile fibres of some products
3. Who is George Hotz?
a) a future prospect for the Vancouver Canucks
b) the guy who takes your golf tee times
c) a 17-year-old from New Jersey who hacked the iPhone
d) a commodities trader who flamed out on natural gas trades
4. What are the assets behind asset-backed commercial paper?
a) Your mortgage
b) Your car loan
c) Your credit card bill
d) All of the above
5. Mark Carney becomes Governor of the Bank of Canada early next year, after a career on Bay Street and then in the federal Finance Department. Which controversial policy was one of his key files in Finance?
a) anti-theft devices on all vehicles imported to Canada
b) changes to the tax structure for income trusts
c) regulations for seaweed content in athletic wear
d) reducing the GST
6. This year marked the end of an era for BCE Inc. when it was bought by a private equity group. Which one?
a) Entwistle & Partners
b) Desmarais Edwards and Pattison Inc.
c) Blackstone, Cerberus and KKR
d) Teachers, Providence Equity Partners and Madison Dearborn
7. Who said it:
a) "I can get on with anyone and adjust to almost anything, and I don't consider [prison] shaming."
b) "I'll push it further. I'm the devil, so I'm going to look at the details."
c) "It's an opportunity for us, on behalf of the Canadian people, to encourage retailers to reflect [on] their prices [and] the fact that they have an advantage with respect to costs right now. Their costs go down because of the increased value of our currency, and that should be reflected in prices. And the sooner the better."
d) "I've had a long relationship with Goldman. I asked them ... 'What do you think about being able to take the company private?' They looked at me like, 'What planet have you flown in from? Nobody does deals this big. Are you out of your mind?' "
e) "You know, me being anxious and hurried doesn't help anything. I used to think it helped some things ... plus, is that what it's all about, to be frenetic and anxious and hurried and superficial? That's not life. That's success? Forget about it."
8. What do the names Smart, Sound and Reliant have in common?
a) CIBC's internal management mantra
b) a new Manulife insurance policy
c) the names of three asset-backed commercial paper conduits
d) new hybrid vehicles to be made by Toyota for the 2009 model year
9. Ipsco Inc. was the last Canadian steel maker to get sold off as three Canadian giants bowed out this year.
True or False?
10. How many times did the Bank of Canada cut rates this year?
a) once
b) twice
11. Oleg Deripaska is:
a) backup goalie for Belarus and a first round draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets
b) the last surviving member of Stalin's last cabinet
c) the Russian oligarch who invested $1.5-billion to gain a 42-per-cent stake of Magna International
d) the owner of OAO Severstal, which lost a bidding war for Stelco to U.S. Steel.
12. Which of the following has Research In Motion's Jim Balsillie not done in the past year?
a) Donated millions to charity
b) Bought a hockey team
c) Established a fellowship program at his foreign affairs institute
d) Coached his son in basketball
13. It was another boffo year for the country's M&A teams, not so good if you're a champion of independent Canadian head offices. Which company did not get sold?
a) Four Seasons
b) Cameco
c) Alcan
d) Stelco
e) Prime-West Energy
f) Cognos
14. Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach raised the ire of Canadian oil patch mavens for changing the royalty regime for energy producers. What upset them most?
a) The mandatory contribution to the Ralph Klein retirement fund
b) The cancellation of direct flights from Calgary to Honolulu
c) Any suggestion they should pay more
d) The shortage of BMW 7-series at local dealers
15. The TSX suffered its biggest decline of the year on July 24. By how many points did the index fall?
a) 400.17
b) 555
c) 275.9
d) 367.17
16. Many companies parted ways with their CEOs this year, with some retiring and others "pursuing other opportunities." Match the former boss with the company:
a) Jim Shepherd
b) Wes Lucas
c) John Paterson
d) Michael Neuman
e) Mark Hogan
1. Magna Entertainment
2. Southwestern Resources
3. Quebecor World
4. Canfor
5. Magna International
17. The saga of Bre-X Minerals, one of the biggest frauds in Canadian corporate history, drew to a close in August when chief geologist John Felderhof was acquitted of illegal insider trading charges. What did he say after the case?
a) The Canadian government should have stopped the CVRD-Inco deal
b) There is gold in Busang
c) He followed every twist and turn in the Conrad Black trial
d) Hang on a second, I just need to take this call on my cellphone from Michael de Guzman
How did you do?
1. a; 2. c; 3. c; 4. d; 5. b; 6. d;
7. a) Conrad Black,
b) Monique Jérôme-Forget,
c) Jim Flaherty, d) Michael Sabia, e) Jim Balsillie;
8. c; 9. False. That honour goes to Stelco;
10. a; 11. c; 12. b; 13. b; 14. c; 15. a;
16. a) 4, b) 3, c) 2, d) 1, e) 5;
17. b
