C hina’s manufacturing sector steamed ahead in December as strong rises in new orders and output drove a key economic survey to a 20-month high. The official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) jumped to 56.6 in December from 55.2 in the previous month, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said on Friday.

H appy New Year. The old year may be one you’d rather forget.

F riday marks the one-year countdown until most income trusts lose their tax advantages, and analysts say the economic impact of the change will be felt over the coming year. Although many trusts have been planning to make the switch to a corporate structure since the reforms were announced in October, 2006, by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, a majority of conversion activity won’t happen until toward the end of 2010, said Andrew Kondraski, vice-president at investor relations firm BarnesMcInerney Inc., which recently completed a survey of the transition experiences of income trusts.

Thursday, December 31, 2009 8:24 PM What if you’d bought these stocks at the bottom? Scott Adams W HAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? Stocks that gave the biggest bang for your buck – that is, if you were a perfect market timer.

I n the market-share grudge match that is the Canadian beer industry, change often takes a long time to brew. Still, 2009 was full of news, especially during the summer beer wars, which included the Canadian introduction of Bud Light Lime and a series of trademark lawsuits.

A year ago, if you were looking to place a bet on which big-name Canadian CEO was most likely to get the boot in 2009, Don Lindsay might well have topped the list. His company, T eck Resources Ltd. TCK.B-T , was on the brink, and about to collapse under a $9.8-billion (U.S.) debt load it had managed to incur on the eve of the global financial crisis.

Thursday, December 31, 2009 8:24 PM Biggest bang for buck? Timing, vision and luck Scott Adams W HAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? Stocks that gave the biggest bang for your buck – that is, if you were a perfect market timer