Before the Bell: Housing starts, permits tumble in January

	Click to View in Browser 02/19/2014 Housing starts, permits tumble in January WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing starts recorded their biggest drop in almost three years in January, likely weighed down by harsh weather, but the third month of declines in permits pointed to some underlying weakness in the housing market. Producer prices edge up in January WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Producer prices rose for a second straight month in January, pushed up by an increase in the cost of goods, but there was little sign of a broad pick-up in inflation pressures at the factory gate. Futures dip ahead of housing data, Fed minutes NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday on investor caution ahead of the release of housing data and minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting of policymakers. VW workers may block southern U.S. deals if no unions: labor chief BERLIN (Reuters) - Volkswagen's top labor representative threatened on Wednesday to try to block further investments by the German carmaker in the southern United States if its workers there are not unionized. SunExpress places order for 50 Boeing aircraft FRANKFURT (Reuters) - SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines , said it was placing an order for 50 Boeing jets, worth $4.5 billion at list prices. U.S. mortgage applications fall in latest week: MBA NEW YORK (Reuters) - Applications for U.S. home mortgages fell in the latest week, with both purchase and refinancing applications down, an industry group said on Wednesday. Google fund invests in education start-up Renaissance Learning (Reuters) - Renaissance Learning, an education technology start-up, said on Wednesday that Google Inc's investment fund had bought a minority stake in the company, valuing it at $1 billion. Watch for companies to claim 'Jack Frost ate our profits' CHICAGO (Reuters) - Sick of hearing Americans complain about the winter weather? Too bad. Because the corporate kvetching has only just begun. Exclusive: Deutsche Bank moves closer to settling Kirch dispute FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank took a decisive step toward ending a dispute with the heirs of late media mogul Leo Kirch on Wednesday after the top committee on the bank's supervisory board prepared to discuss an out of court settlement, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. Tokyo prosecutors raid Novartis Japan unit in probe: Kyodo ZURICH (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Tokyo raided the local unit of Swiss drugmaker Novartis as part of an investigation into alleged use of manipulated data to promote its best-selling blood pressure drug Diovan, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday. Related Video What's fuelling Ferrari's brand power? Breakingviews: Global banking gets even more fractured Global Investing Now more than ever, a college diploma keeps the wolf from the door Pimco's Gross tries again to soothe clients A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today   The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day. Register Today   » MORE NEWSLETTERS - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend