Canada

Pepsi Bottling Group Inc., the world's second-largest soft-drink distributor, lowered its 2008 earnings forecast and said it will eliminate 4.6 percent of its workforce in North America, Europe and Mexico, Bloomberg reported. Pepsi Bottling, which is 33 percent-owned by PepsiCo Inc., will cut 3,150 jobs, mostly in Mexico. Earnings per share will be $2.20 to $2.26 this year, down from the $2.32 to $2.38 Pepsi Bottling forecast in June, the Somers, New York-based company said today in a statement. The shares fell in New York trading.

There will be a steady upward march in personal and business bankruptcy filings in Canada as overspending and falling home prices catch up with individuals and as a slowing economy hurts businesses, Reuters reported yesterday. Canada's Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy said last week that total bankruptcies in September jumped 28.4 percent from the same month a year earlier. Individual bankruptcies were up nearly 30 percent nationwide, but businesses also posted a 9 percent increase.

The number of bankruptcies in Canada rose 18.7 per cent to 8,836 in September--the majority filed by consumers--from 7,446 the previous month, the Ottawa Citizen reported today. On an annual basis, the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy said that failures were up 28.4 per cent from 6,879 recorded in September 2007. Consumer bankruptcies jumped 19.6 per cent to 8,347 in September from 6,977 the previous month, and rose 29.8 per cent from 6,430 a year earlier. Business bankruptcies increased 4.3 per cent to 489 in September from 469 in August.