Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week

TORONTO – Five things to watch for in Canadian business this week:

Dairy: Canadian dairy giant Saputo holds its annual meeting in Laval, Que., on Tuesday, followed by a first-quarter earnings conference call later in the day. The company has taken a hit from the decline in global cheese prices, and said in June that it will likely have to ride out the storm until the end of the year.

Gold: Barrick Gold is out with its second-quarter results on Wednesday. The struggling mining company, burdened with debt and plummeting gold prices, just signed a deal to sell a 50 per cent stake in a copper mine in Chile for more than $1 billion.

Sleep: Also on Wednesday, Sleep Country Canada Holdings Inc. releases its second-quarter results. The country’s largest mattress retailer returned to the public markets last month after seven years in private hands, but its IPO price of $17 a share drew something of a yawn from investors.

Election: The sputtering state of the Canadian economy — and who’s best positioned to jump-start it — is likely to be a key topic of discussion when the four federal party leaders hold their first debate on Thursday.

Jobs: The monthly jobs figures for July are released on Friday, a key indicator of the state of the Canadian economy. On Wednesday, the federal agency is also out with the international merchandise trade figures for June.