Here are the top business stories making the headlines in the morning newspapers.
Row at city council over services
A row has broken out over claims Aberdeen City Council could be lining up private firms to run public services.
City officials have been tasked with looking at which areas of their work they could outsource in the future.
The Press and Journal says Labour has warned the work could open the back door to privatisation.
Social work for adults and children, council tax collection, free school meal provision and anti-social behaviour services are among the 48 areas that top brass have found alternative providers for.
Councillor Deena Tissera said: "The public will be shocked to learn that services they value could in the future be run by private companies whose first responsibility is to their shareholders rather than the council."
But her suggestion of privatisation was branded "simply nonsense" by Lib Dem co-leader Ian Yuill.
"There are no proposals in this report to make decisions - that is way down the line, if at all," he told The P&J.
"It is about further work looking at services the council delivers.
"As a Liberal Democrat, I believe in local services, delivered locally and in most cases that is by local government."
Hope for Scottish shops
Christmas shopping and Black Friday helped boost sales last month giving Scottish retailers a "smidgen of hope", according to latest figures.
Total sales in Scotland last month increased by 8% compared with November 2021, when they had grown 2.6%, the SRC-KPMG Scottish Retail Sales Monitor showed.
The Press and Journal says that, adjusted for inflation, the year-on-year change was 0.6%.
Drive-thru Greggs for Westhill
Plans for the north-east's first drive-thru Greggs in Westhill have been approved, despite worries it would turn the town into a fast-food hub.
It means Greggs fans will soon be able order their favourite tasty treats without leaving the comfort of their cars.
But a cafe will be built too, with seating for 28 diners.
The national bakery chain lodged plans with Aberdeenshire Council for the new development at Venture Way in June.
The Press and Journal says the site will have 29 car parking spaces and 12 electric vehicle bays with charging points.
It will create 20 full and part-time jobs and the drive-thru is expected to be open seven-days-a-week from 6am to 9pm.
Westhill and Elrick Community Council didn't object to the plan, but did raise concerns that the town was at risk of being seen as a "fast-food drive-thru hub".
But the proposal received support from Aberdeenshire Council.
Jack Wills exit from Bon Accord Centre
Fashion retailer Jack Wills has become the latest store to exit Aberdeen's Bon Accord Centre.
The Press and Journal says the outlet, which relocated from the neighbouring Academy Centre just three years ago, has announced it will close permanently in January.
Employment record for women
The employment rate for women of working age in Scotland is at a record high, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics reported that 75.6% of women aged between 16 and 64 were in work between August and October.
The BBC says this is the highest rate recorded since the labour force survey began in 1992.
Wage-growth gap
The gap between wage growth in the public and private sector is near a record high, official figures show.
Workers in the private sector saw their average pay rise by 6.9% between August and October, according to the Office for National Statistics.
That compares to wage growth of just 2.7% for public sector employees.
The BBC says the 4.2% difference between pay growth in the public and private sectors is just below the 4.4% gap seen between July and September.
No bail for Bankman-Fried
Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been denied bail by a judge in the Bahamas.
US authorities charged Mr Bankman-Fried with "one of the biggest financial frauds in US history" on Tuesday.
The ex-FTX boss built a "house of cards on a foundation of deception", Security and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler said.
Mr Bankman-Fried has indicated that he will fight extradition to the US.
Bahamas Chief Magistrate JoyAnn Ferguson-Pratt denied the petition for his release on bail, citing a "great" risk of flight, and ordered that he be kept on remand at a correctional facility until February 8.
The BBC says he was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday.
Last month, FTX filed for bankruptcy in the US, leaving many users unable to withdraw their funds.