Canada's job recovery will reflect growing divergence between resource and … – CBC.ca + MORE Jan 8th

TORONTO – North American investors appear headed for a calmer Friday after days of upheaval spurred by events surrounding China’s currency and two of its major stock markets.
Several major Asian stock indexes including the Shanghai Composite closed slightly higher Friday, after China’s central bank issued a statement promising it would aim for currency stability and China’s stock regulator suspended a new “circuit breaker” system that were triggered on Monday and Thursday — upsetting securities markets around the world.
In Europe, market indexes were slightly up or slightly down before the North American trading day began and before the release of unemployment reports in Canada and the United States at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The Dow Jones index futures were modestly higher, up 92 points or 0.56 per cent at 16,511.0. Similar small gains were seen with S&P 500 futures, up 11 points at 1,944.0, and Nasdaq futures were up 33 points at 4,322,25 about an hour before the jobs reports…

Jennifer Dowty, Chartered Financial Analyst, looks ahead to the market trading day

CBC.caCanada's job recovery will reflect growing divergence between resource and …CBC.ca"The chart between oil and the Canadian dollar looks like a pair of train tracks," said Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz in Ottawa Thursday. As Poloz was speaking, fears of a meltdown in China, one of the world's biggest resource consumers, was …Dramatic stock market plunge in China fans economic fears globallyToronto StarAftermath of resource rout will be long and painful: PolozThe Globe and Mail (subscription)John Ivison: Stephen Poloz's outlook stays sunny while Canadian economy veers …National PostCTV News -Macleans.caall 124 news articles »

BANGKOK – A Thai cosmetics company quickly pulled a video in which an actress wears blackface and promotes a skin-whitener with the slogan: “You just need to be white to win.” The retraction did little, however, to stem a debate the ad ignited about the regularity of racist advertisements in the Southeast Asian country.
The online ad for the new product called “Snowz” featured porcelain-skinned Thai movie star Cris Horwang talking about being an aging actress in a competitive industry.
“If I stopped looking after myself, everything that I have worked for — all the investment I have made to keep myself white — would disappear,” says the 35-year-old actress. “New stars would replace me, I would fade away.”
As she speaks, a smiling, younger woman enters the picture and Cris’ own image darkens to charcoal black.
A male voice says, “You just need to be white to win.”
A tirade of criticism erupted after the video was launched online Thursday…

HONG KONG – Calm returned Friday to China’s stock markets after a torrid week but underlying reasons for the turmoil remain: a weakening yuan and perceptions China’s leaders are bungling their handling of the economy.
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WHAT WAS BEHIND THE STOCK MARKET SLIDE?
Government intervention after a boom and bust last year has kept stock prices at artificially high levels. Ultimately, they must come down, particularly as the government attempts to withdraw its support measures. The slowdown in the Chinese economy is also a negative; China is expected to post its weakest annual expansion in a quarter century when fourth quarter growth data is released later this month. An ill-thought-out “circuit breaker” trading halt system, which kicked in twice this week, also added to volatility. One big reason is the weakening yuan. Investors were spooked Thursday when the government guided the tightly controlled currency sharply lower, in what was interpreted as a panicked effort to stimulate the economy by helping beleaguered exporters…