I’m no math wizard but I know enough to not buy state sponsored lottery tickets. Your odds are much better when you buy your tickets via the natural resource sector where you can stack the deck in your favor and make life changing money.

The bears took the bulls by the horns during Wednesday trading on the Canadian Markets, as lower than expected retail sales out of the United States spooked the traders. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange plunged 3.65%, while the TSX Gold Index gave back 1.3% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, fell 2.29% with the decliners swamping the advancers by a 521 to 316 margin on 181 million shares traded.

The Canadian Markets continued to march off their 2008 bottoms during the first day of trading in 2009. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange added 2.74%, while the TSX Gold Index was the lone loser falling 2% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, tacked on 6.23% with the advancing issuers beating out the decliners by a 615 to 135 margin on volume of 144 million shares traded.