Is Online Credit Card Use Still Safe? + MORE Jan 14th

This is a big-picture kind of day for the economy, following new comments by the Bank of Canada on the impact of falling oil prices, and a revised forecast by the World Bank for global growth. Oil is just above $45 today, and the drop is again taking a toll on the TSX/S&P Composite Index, which suffered another drop yesterday, although not as significant as Monday’s triple-digit fall. Markets in New York also fell on oil yesterday, despite another indication of a strong labour market: Openings for jobs are at a 14-year high.
Today also sees first-quarter earnings from Shaw and, in the U.S., the beginning of banks earning season, starting with J.P. Morgan. There aren’t many numbers being released at home today, but, to the south, there are retail and import numbers for December, and the release of the “Beige Book,” an anecdotal summary of interviews around the country intended to take the pulse of the American economy.
In Europe, more numbers on inflation—this time, from France and Italy—reflect general concern over deflation in the eurozone as a whole, with French inflation for December coming in 0…

What would 2015 be without a little dash of data stealing?
Just in time for post-Christmas shopping woes, hackers claimed they leaked credit card info from 13,000 dating site users and Walmart/Amazon shoppers on December 28. A few days later it was American fast food chain Chick-Fil-A admitting thousands of customers may have had their credit card info stolen. And let’s not forget last year’s massive Home Depot and Target data breaches.
You wouldn’t be remiss to think that data leaks are becoming more common. Luckily, Seth Hardy, a Toronto-based cyber security researcher/analyst, doesn’t think that’s the case.
“It’s more likely that people are just hearing about it more – due to paying more attention to the subject – or that legal reporting requirements of companies have increased due to high profile compromises and leaks,” he says.
Do Businesses Have Your Back?
Mostly, hackers are up to the same ol’ techniques, targeting companies that are sluggish when it comes to upgrading their IT safeguards…

680 NewsBanks bracing for possibility oil prices will remain low for prolonged time680 NewsThe entrance to a Royal Bank of Canada office is seen in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, April 7, 2011. Any sale of assets from Royal Bank's (TSX:RY) U.S. operations would "remove a big factor" that has weighed on the share price of Canada's largest bank, one …Canada Gets Sell Order as Oil Bust to Swipe Bank StocksBloombergBanks bracing for possibility of prolonged period of low oil pricesMacleans.caCanadian dollar rises, commodities mixed as World Bank forecasts lower growthVancouver SunThe Globe and Mail (subscription) -bnn.caall 277 news articles »

Despite nasty headlines, most lenders don’t fret about loan losses

680 NewsBanks bracing for possibility oil prices will remain low for prolonged time680 NewsThe entrance to a Royal Bank of Canada office is seen in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, April 7, 2011. Any sale of assets from Royal Bank's (TSX:RY) U.S. operations would "remove a big factor" that has weighed on the share price of Canada's largest bank, one …Canada Gets Sell Order as Oil Bust to Swipe Bank StocksBloombergBanks bracing for possibility of prolonged period of low oil pricesMacleans.caCanadian dollar rises, commodities mixed as World Bank forecasts lower growthVancouver SunThe Globe and Mail (subscription) -bnn.caall 277 news articles »