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| [$$] Cold Weather Presents Quandary for Investors Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 08:09 PM PST The brutal freeze affecting much of the U.S. has traders scrambling to gauge the impact on the economy, and how to shelter portfolios. Full Story | Top |
| Small-Businesses' Sales Decline Amid Winter Weather Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 08:09 PM PST The unusual snap of cold weather is taking a toll on small-business owners, who are likely to have less of a cash cushion than bigger firms to tide them over when things get tough. Full Story | Top |
| BOJ board member says Japan can weather tax hike, grow above potential rate Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 07:17 PM PST By Stanley White WAKAYAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Japan's economy can continue to exceed its potential growth rate after a planned sales tax hike in April, Bank of Japan board member Yoshihisa Morimoto said on Thursday, in a sign of confidence the tax hit to consumption will not derail the economy. Morimoto also said he expects exports to grow gradually as a recovery in advanced countries spreads to Asia, but some economists are starting to worry about external demand after Japan posted a record trade deficit in January. Morimoto's comments were in line with the BOJ's official stance that the economy does not need additional monetary easing. "We expect demand to rise before the tax hike and then fall afterwards," Morimoto said in a speech to business leaders in Wakayama, western Japan. Full Story | Top |
| Obama says climate weighs on Keystone and other decisions Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 06:54 PM PST U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday his administration needed to follow its established process to decide whether to allow the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline from Canada to go ahead, stressing that concerns about climate change needed to be at the forefront of government decisions. "I said previously that how Keystone impacted greenhouse gas emissions would affect our decision, but frankly it has to affect all of our decisions at this stage," Obama told a news conference concluding a North American summit. The U.S. government has been studying TransCanada Corp's proposed pipeline since 2008, but its review recently entered a new stage during which agencies and the public can weigh in before Obama makes his final call about whether the project is in the national interest. Harper told reporters at the news conference that a recent U.S. State Department report showed the pipeline would not accelerate climate change. Full Story | Top |
| Fed officials see more QE cuts, changes to low-rate vow Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 06:51 PM PST  By Jonathan Spicer and Ann Saphir NEW YORK/ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Three Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday said they believe the U.S. economy is gaining traction despite a recent slowdown from severe weather, allowing the central bank to stick to its plan to wind down its massive bond-buying stimulus this year. The comments, from the heads of the Federal Reserve banks of St. Louis, San Francisco and Atlanta, freshen the message in the minutes of the Fed's most recent policymaking meeting, also released Wednesday, which showed many thought only a big change in outlook could disrupt further measured reductions in purchases. Indeed, several Fed policymakers wanted to drive home the idea that their asset-purchase program would be trimmed in predictable, $10-billion, increments, according to minutes of the Fed's January 28-29 policy meeting. At the meeting, which was former chairman Ben Bernanke's last, the Fed decided to make another modest cut to its bond-buying program, which now runs at $65 billion per month. Full Story | Top |
| California senators float post-2020 climate change bill Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 06:24 PM PST By Rory Carroll SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Two California state senators released a bill on Wednesday that would give regulators the authority to design a plan to meet the state's long-term greenhouse gas reduction goals and improve air quality in the state's poorest communities. The bill is an effort by Democratic senators Fran Pavley and Ricardo Lara to get the legislature's blessing for an extension of the state's pioneering climate change efforts beyond the end of the decade. But it would leave details of how to achieve the state's goals to the California Air Resources Board, which is already working on a post-2020 climate change plan. "This bill looks to the future, sending a clear signal that California intends to continue its climate leadership," Pavley said. Full Story | Top |
| City Officials: Weather Conditions Could Cause Frozen Pipes, Flooding Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 04:43 PM PST  Despite warmer temperatures we have experienced recently, the city's water division encourages you to continue running a small stream of water —about the size of a pencil lead —at one faucet in your home to prevent your water service from freezing. Full Story | Top |
| Meteorologist gets personal about 'old man winter' Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 04:27 PM PST CHICAGO (AP) — National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi has a message to those who think the bright sunshine over parts of the Midwest this week means the brutal winter is over: "Forgetaboutit." Full Story | Top |
| UPDATE: Snow, Ice Could Make for Messy Thursday Morning Commute Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 03:59 PM PST  A mixture of snow, ice and freezing rain could create hazardous travel conditions for Thursday morning's commute, according to a video briefing posted by the National Weather Service at 4:30 p.m. Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: The Dalai Lama Talks Pot, Facebook and the Pope With TIME Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 03:01 PM PST Ahead of a lengthy two-week tour of the U.S. west coast, the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, spoke with TIME religion reporter Elizabeth Dias during a wide-ranging, 40-minute interview in Washington D.C. on Wednesday. He weighed in on the moral challenges that face U.S. foreign policy, the threat of climate change and the importance of healthy relations between China, the land of his birth, and India, the country which has given him a home in exile for over half a century. Though the 78-year-old Dalai Lama is routinely vilified by officials in Beijing, he had some warm words for China's new President Xi Jinping. Has the U.S. backed away from addressing human rights issues in China because Beijing is a more important economic power? Full Story | Top |
| Some New York City streets closed due to falling ice, snow Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 02:47 PM PST  By Victoria Cavaliere NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers got a reprieve from the relentless winter weather on Wednesday only to find that the season's wrath created a fresh menace of large chunks of snow and ice falling from skyscrapers to the sidewalks below. Several streets in Lower Manhattan around One World Trade Center, the city's tallest building, had to be closed when packs of snow and ice began to melt and fall from the 1,776-foot (541 meter) building, according to the city's Office of Emergency Management. More than 57 inches of snow have fallen on New York City since the start of winter, twice the normal amount, according to the National Weather Service. It accumulates on landings and balconies and roofs out of our line of sight," said National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro. Full Story | Top |
| Blackburn Takes on ‘The Science Guy’ Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 02:27 PM PST Arguing against White House efforts on climate change, Rep. Marsha Blackburn mangled the facts and misrepresented the words of EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. Full Story | Top |
| Oil up over $103 on winter demand, supply concerns Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 01:41 PM PST The price of oil rose 1 percent to close above $103 a barrel Wednesday, driven by severe winter weather in the U.S. and supply concerns. Full Story | Top |
| Spotlight on economy: Manufacturers under the weather Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 01:26 PM PST A brutal winter has thrown a kink in the operations of U.S. manufacturers and we'll probably get more evidence on Thursday. Full Story | Top |
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