Month: February 2014

BEIJING (AP) — The major city of Guangzhou in southern China closed its live poultry markets on Saturday for two weeks to halt the spread of the H7N9 strain of bird flu.

BEIJING (AP) — The major city of Guangzhou in southern China has closed its live poultry markets for two weeks as part of efforts to halt the spread of bird flu.

By David Ingram and Jason Lange WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Friday issued new law-enforcement guidelines aimed at encouraging banks to start doing business with state-licensed marijuana suppliers, like those in Colorado, even though such enterprises remain illegal under federal law. Administration officials said the policy shift seeks to address problems faced by newly licensed recreational marijuana retailers in Colorado, and medical cannabis dispensaries in other states, that must operate on a cash-only basis, without access to financial services or credit. It remained to be seen whether many banks would feel sufficiently assured by the new policy, which the Justice and Treasury departments outlined in writing to federal prosecutors and financial institutions nationwide. The guidance stopped short of promising immunity for banks.

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss and Jennifer Ablan (Reuters) – Top U.S. hedge fund managers in the fourth quarter focused on the consumer sector, with investment plays ranging from high-end auction house Sotheby's to big retailers Target Corp and Walgreen Co General Motors also became the flavor of the quarter with many hedge funds as the U.S. government exited its position. Soros Fund Management LLC, founded by billionaire investor George Soros, purchased new stakes in banking giants J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup in the fourth quarter. Soros also boosted holdings in GM.