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"Like the North Star, we are a bright light for others to follow," Flaherty enthused in his fall economic update and in many speeches following.

The numbers do sound impressive. The second-longest expansion in Canadian history after the great 1958-1980 advance, unemployment at a 33-year low, wages rising at about double the inflation rate, runaway federal surpluses, a falling debt burden and low, stable inflation.

And to top it all, the Canadian dollar's gravity-defying 29 per cent ascent against its American cousin. Already on a steady upward trajectory since 2002, the dollar took flight, shooting from just over 85 cents US at the start of the year to an all-time high above 110 cents US on Nov. More>>

The deal will combine the companies behind popular video games World of Warcraft and Call of Duty.

The creation of the new company, Activision Blizzard, "is an unprecedented move in the video games industry", said Laurent Michaud, an analyst at the digital technology consultancy IDATE.

In Frankfurt, business software group SAP added 1.32 per cent at €35.4 on speculation about a possible takeover bid from Microsoft.

In Asia overnight, the Tokyo Stock Exchange's benchmark Nikkei-225 index dropped 0.33 per cent to 15,628.97 points. Dealers there said investors took profits following last week's strong rally on the back of US rate cut hopes. More>>