B ombardier Inc. BBD.A-T has received an order from Spain’s national rail operator to maintain a fleet of high-speed trains for 14 years, the transportation equipment maker announced Thursday. RENFE will pay $917-million (U.S.) to Bombardier and Spanish railway vehicle maker Talgo to maintain the new trains.

G old rose 1 per cent to above $1,100 an ounce in Europe on Thursday as the dollar slipped against the euro, boosting interest in the precious metal as an alternative asset. Trading was thin in the run-up to the New Year holiday, with many market participants absent until Jan.

C hina imposed a tax Thursday on sales of previously non-tradable shares in an apparent attempt to reassure investors by discouraging a possible flood of shares from entering the market and depressing prices. Individuals who sell previously non-tradable shares will face a 20-per-cent income tax on their profit starting Friday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It said trading in shares already in the market will continue to be free of income tax.

I t would be just like the battle between David and Goliath – if David had changed his name to Groliath. A tiny Oakville, Ont.-based tech startup has scored a rare victory against Google Inc. GOOG-Q over a domain name the Web giant claimed was “confusingly similar” to its own.

C hina on Thursday criticized a U.S. decision to slap antidumping duties on Chinese-made steel pipes, demanding that Washington reverse the move and saying its goods are no threat to American producers. The U.S.

RS Investments, a San Francisco-based investment management firm, launched three new fixed-income funds today to offer retail investors and financial advisers more options in a shifting economic scene. The three funds are: the RS Strategic Income Fund, an actively managed fund that encompasses global bonds and high-yield and investment grade securities; the RS High Yield Municipal Bond Fund; and the RS Floating Rate Fund. The funds have been seeded with $135 million from Guardian Investor Services, which serves as subadviser and already manages RS’ five other fixed-income funds

Wednesday, December 30, 2009 8:31 PM Small companies offer up most dividend growth Gordon Edall W hat are we looking for? Number Cruncher’s affection for dividends is well documented and today we look back at the decade to find the stocks that offered up the most dividend growth. Unlike our earlier looks back at earnings and revenue growth this week, we’re going to slice the decade a little finer and give you a look at compound annual growth rates across the last 10 years.