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A Bay street sign is seen in Toronto’s financial district.Mark Blinch/The Globe and Mail

Here are the top reads of the week. Have a great weekend,

Chasing the high: Why Canada's pot stock boom just doesn't add up Story (Andrew Willis, for subscribers)

Marijuana millionaires: The Canadian execs getting rich off the rally Story (David Berman, for subscribers)

Divestitures: Aphria Inc. is taking steps to pull back from the U.S. medical marijuana market as it moves to fall in line with Toronto Stock Exchange rules. Story (Christina Pellegrini, for subscribers)

People moves: TD Wealth executive Jeff Gans is stepping down from his bank role to join ETF pioneer Som Seif's Purpose Investments. Story (Clare O'Hara)

Wealth management industry: Investing giant Vanguard has launched 'one-ticket solution' ETFs. Each packs a globally diversified portfolio covering stocks and bonds into a single fund. Story (Rob Carrick)

Deal analysis: Thomson Reuters Corp. sold a slow-growing, less-profitable business for a wad of cash and plans to use the windfall to reduce debt and buy back a massive amount of stock. What's not to like? Story (David Milstead, for subscribers)

More deal analysis: It's being billed as a battle of the billionaires for financial-data supremacy. But to hear the matchup described by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), which is backing Blackstone's deal as part of a consortium, the investment doesn't need to crush its competition to be a winner. Story (Jacqueline Nelson, for subscribers)

Transformational deals: There is some fortuitous timing that allows Thomson Reuters Corp. to extract a tidy sum from its steady, yet unspectacular, financial data business. But for the 88-year-old Thomson media dynasty, led by chairman David Thomson, it also follows a pattern of rewriting the script every once in a while with a major deal. Story (Jeffrey Jones, for subscribers)

Deal of the week: With a US$17-billion deal to join forces with Thomson Reuters Corp., private equity giant Blackstone Group LP has thrust itself into the hot seat of a battle for supremacy in market data. Story (James Bradshaw, for subscribers)

Pot ETFs: Redwood Asset Management, a subsidiary of Purpose Investments – the company formed by Canadian ETF pioneer Som Seif in 2013 – will begin trading the Marijuana Opportunities Fund on Thursday morning. Story (Clare O'Hara, for subscribers)

Canadian venture financing: Canadian startup Platterz Inc. is announcing on Thursday that it has raised US$15-million in venture financing after securing some of the top tech companies operating in the Toronto-Waterloo corridor as regular customers. Story (Sean Silcoff, for subscribers)

Mortgage industry: An Ontario regulator has revoked the mortgage broker licences of five companies and individuals associated with the Tier 1 group of companies after an investigation into syndicated mortgage investment pools they were promoting to investors. Story (Janet McFarland)

More pot listings coming: Canadians are five months away from being able to legally spark up a joint, but the party has already started in the cannabis industry, with two marijuana producers planning to go public in coming weeks. Story (Andrew Willis, for subscribers)

Market integrity: A growing chorus of Bay Street traders and money managers is sounding the alarm over a recent jump in how often a single brokerage executes both the "buy" and "sell" sides of a stock trade. Story (Christina Pellegrini, for subscribers)

Hotel industry: Hotel visionary and billionaire Barry Sternlicht is unwinding his Westin hotel portfolio in Canada with the sale of three luxury hotels in Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. Story (Rachelle Younglai, for subscribers)

Marijuana merger mania: Emerging industries usually follow a natural business cycle: They blossom, then they consolidate. What's unusual about this round of merger mania in Canada's scorching, but nascent, marijuana sector is the speed at which it's unfolding. Story (Tim Kiladze, for subscribers)

The pot deal that started the week: Licensed marijuana producer Aphria Inc. announced an agreement Monday to buy medical cannabis firm Nuuvera Inc. in a cash-and-stock deal that it says values the company at $826-million. Story

IPO watch: Ontario pension giant OMERS is pushing further into the rapidly expanding cryptocurrency business through the creation of an Ethereum-focused public company that is planning to raise $50-million. Story (Sean Silcoff and Jacqueline Nelson)

Job opening: ATB Financial Corp. chief executive officer Dave Mowat is retiring this summer, ending an 11-year run at the helm of Alberta's government-owned bank. Story (James Bradshaw, for subscribers)

FRIDAY FINANCIAL SERVICES WRAP

Mortgage industry: Ontario's financial regulator said on Friday it has revoked the licence of mortgage brokerage Building Development and Mortgages Canada Inc (BDMC) and Vince Petrozza, a co-founder of a related firm, Fortress Real Developments, following an investigation into risky syndicated mortgage investments. Story

Earnings watch: Deutsche Bank on Friday posted its third consecutive annual loss in 2017, taking a hit from challenging markets, a drop in investment bank revenue and a U.S. tax reform, after a difficult fourth quarter. Story

Insurance industry: British Columbia's public auto insurer's ability to meet its obligation to pay claims is on a crumbling footing, a key measure of the financial health of an insurance company shows. Story (Justine Hunter and David Ebner)

FRIDAY DEAL WRAP

Canadian takeout: Walkie-talkie maker Motorola Solutions Inc said on Thursday it would buy Canadian security camera maker Avigilon Corp for $1.2-billion cash. Story

Tech industry: Computer maker Dell Technologies Inc said on Friday it is evaluating a potential public offering of its common stock or a combination with business software provider VMware Inc. Story

Canadian private deal: Venus Concept Ltd., a portfolio company of EW Healthcare Partners, HealthQuest Capital, and Madryn Asset Management, has agreed to acquire NeoGraft Solutions' hair restoration business. Private Capital Journal

Real estate: Great-West Lifeco's real estate arm has acquired the business of Colorado-based EverWest Real Estate Partners, marking its first move into the U.S. Story

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Tickers mentioned in this story

Study and track financial data on any traded entity: click to open the full quote page. Data updated as of 27/03/24 4:46pm EDT.

SymbolName% changeLast
BX-N
Blackstone Inc
+2.35%130.89
GWO-T
Great-West Lifeco Inc
+0.33%42.92
MSI-N
Motorola Solutions
+1.67%353.41
TRI-N
Thomson Reuters Corp
+0.55%155.95
TRI-T
Thomson Reuters Corp
+0.41%211.67

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