MADELEINE BRAND, host:
NPR's business news starts with falling temperatures and rising prices.
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BRAND: From the orchards in Florida to the dairy farms in Indiana, orange growers and cows are shivering this morning. A cold wind is blowing across the northern plains and sending a chill down the spine of the East Coast.
Record lows are helping drive up energy prices. Natural gas and home heating oil prices are rising. Crude oil has started trading above $80 a barrel. All of that likely will translate into higher energy bills. The rising prices also suggest the global economy is recovering, and regaining its appetite for fuel.