Canadian traders are on their own today. U.S. markets are closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Bank of Canada’s latest rate decision is due on Tuesday. And a slew of Canadian corporate news is coming out this week.

Alcan Inc., Canadian National Railway, and Suncor Energy report their numbers on Tuesday. .Nortel Networks Corp., Imperial Oil Ltd. and JDS Uniphase are reporting later in the week.

As for economic data, Canadian wholesale sales in November rose for the sixth consecutive month. They edged up 0.3% in November to $35.9 billion. Since November 2001, sales have grown by an average of 0.7% per month. This number indicates a slowing from earlier growth rates.

The European markets are mixed at midday. The London FTSE is up four points to 3825. The Paris CAC 40 is down 16 ticks to 3041. And the Berlin DAX has added seven points to 2925.

Overnight in Asia, stocks were weak again. The Nikkei dropped 131 points to 8559. The Hang Seng dropped 63 points to 9552.

MDS Inc. announced that Gary Goertz has resigned as Executive Vice-President and CFO effective February 14, to pursue other business opportunities. A search will begin immediately for a replacement. In the meantime, Goertz’s responsibilities will be shared by a number of the senior executives in the company.

In M&A news, there’s talk that the battle for Safeway plc may produce still another bidder. British billionaire, Philip Green, is said to be on the verge of jumping in with the fifth bid for the chain.