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A wild winter storm was expected to bring strong winds, heavy snow and frigid temperatures to the Great Lakes and Northeast on Tuesday, a day after a bomb cyclone barreled across the northern U.S. and left tens thousands of customers without power.The storm that hit parts of the Plains and Great Lakes on Monday brought sharply colder air, strong winds and a mix of snow, ice and rain that led to treacherous travel. Forecasters said it intensified quickly enough to meet the criteria of a bomb cyclone, a system that strengthens rapidly as pressure drops.Nationwide, more than 153,000 customers were without power early Tuesday, more than a third of them in Michigan, according to Poweroutage.us.As Monday’s storm moved into Canada, the National Weather Service predicted more inclement weather conditions for the Eastern U.S, including quick bursts of heavy snow and gusty winds known as snow squalls.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned that whiteout conditions were expected Tuesday in parts of the state, including the Syracuse-metro area.“If you’re in an impacted area, please avoid all unnecessary travel,” she said in a post on the social media platform X.Snow piled up quickly in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on Monday, where as much as 2 feet (60 centimeters) fell in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist Ryan Metzger said additional snow was expected in the coming days, although totals would be far lighter.Waves on Lake Superior that were expected to reach 20 feet (6 meters) Monday sent all but one cargo ship into harbors for shelter, according to MarineTraffic.com. Weather forecasting on the lakes has improved greatly since the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in 1975 after waves were predicted at up to 16 feet (4.8 meters).The fierce winds on Lake Erie sent water surging toward the basin’s eastern end near Buffalo, New York, while lowering water on the western side in Michigan to expose normally submerged lakebed even the wreck of a car and a snowmobile.Kevin Aldrich, 33, a maintenance worker from Monroe, Michigan, said he has never seen the lake recede so much and was surprised on Monday to spot the remnants of old piers dating back to the 1830s. He posted photos on social media of wooden pilings sticking up several feet from the muck.“Where those are at would typically be probably 12 feet deep,” he said. “We can usually drive our boat over them.”Dangerous wind chills plunged as low as minus 30 F (minus 34 C) across parts of North Dakota and Minnesota on Monday. And in northeast West Virginia, rare, nearly hurricane-force winds were recorded on a mountain near Dolly Sods, according to the National Weather Service.In Iowa, after blizzard conditions eased by Monday morning, high winds continued blowing fallen snow across roadways, keeping more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) of Interstate 35 closed. State troopers reported dozens of crashes during the storm, including one that killed a person.On the West Coast, the National Weather Service warned that moderate to strong Santa Ana winds were expected in parts of Southern California through Tuesday, raising concerns about downed trees in areas where soils have been saturated by recent storms. Two more storms were forecast later this week, with rain on New Year’s Day potentially soaking the Rose Parade in Pasadena for the first time in about two decades. Associated Press writers Julie Walker in New York; Corey Williams in Detroit; Margery Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Susan Haigh in Norwich, Connecticut; and Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska, contributed. Leah Willingham and Jeff Martin, Associated Press
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Shares opened mixed in Europe on Tuesday after slipping in Asia as some regional markets wrapped up trading for the year.Crude oil prices edged higher and gold and silver resumed their ascent. U.S. futures were flat.In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi rang out the final session for 2025 in a traditional year-end ceremony.“By realizing a Japanese economy that earns the trust of investors around the world, we will create a virtuous cycle in which global capital flows into Japan,” Takaichi said.The benchmark Nikkei 225 shed 0.4% to 50,339.48, its first year-end close above 50,000. It ended 2025 up nearly 25%.With just two trading days left before the year ends, most big investors have closed out their positions and volume has been thin. Most global markets will be closed Thursday, New Year’s day, and some will also be closed Wednesday and Friday.In early European trading, Germany’s DAX was nearly unchanged at 24,348.38. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% to 9.876.73, while the CAC 40 in Paris had barely budged at 8,112.37.Elsewhere in Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 0.9% to 25,854.60, while the Shanghai Composite index was virtually unchanged at 3,965.51.In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 edged 0.1% lower to 8,717.10.South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.2% to 4,214.17, while Taiwan’s Taiex lost 0.4%.India’s Sensex was down less than 0.1%.On Monday, stocks slipped in quiet trading on Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 0.3%. It’s still up more than 17% for the year and it remains on track for its eighth monthly gain in a row.The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.5%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%.Big technology stocks with outsized valuations were among the heaviest weights on the market. Nvidia and several other companies focusing on AI or benefiting heavily from the developing technology have become some of the most valuable in the world.Nvidia fell 1.2% and Broadcom fell 0.8%.Tech shares have wobbled recently as investors have grown skeptical over the whether the eventual payoff will justify hefty investments in artificial intelligence.The price of gold gained 0.7% early Tuesday after falling 4.6% the day before. It’s up about 64% for the year.Silver prices gained 4.4% after slumping 8.7% on Monday. They have more than doubled in 2025.The precious metals fell back on Monday when the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, one of the largest trading floors for commodities, asked traders to put up more cash to make bets on precious metals.Treasury yields fell in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.11% from 4.13% late Friday.Treasury yields have fallen significantly from the start of the year, after the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark rate to help counter a slowing jobs market. That risks heating up inflation that is already stubbornly above the central bank’s target rate of 2%. Interest rate cuts could boost the economy by making loans less expensive, but that benefit could be nullified by rising inflation stunting economic growth.In other dealings early Tuesday, U.S. crude oil gained 14 cents to $58.22 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 12 cents to $61.61 per barrel.The U.S. dollar slipped to 156.00 Japanese yen from 156.05 yen. The euro fell to $1.1769 from $1.1774. AP video journalist Mayuko Ono in Tokyo contributed to this report. Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer
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E-Commerce
Ive done it, youve done it, weve all done it. With the best of intentions, we set big goals for our future: get a work promotion, lose 20 pounds, run a marathon. And too often, we give up a few months later, realizing we bit off more than we could chew. Why? We get enamored with the idea but the execution? Not so much. Goals can seem straightforward, but without a specific plan or realistic milestones, they quickly fizzle out. The Appeal and Problem of Big Goals Big goals can quickly inspire us and make us feel like were putting effort into forward progress. But goals are only as good as the plans that support them. You cant build your dream house without an architectural drawing. New Years resolutions are a great example. Every January, we feel compelled to proclaim a grand milestone well achieve to make our lives betterlike quitting a bad habit or getting eight hours of sleep. According to a study by Strava, 80% of New Years resolutions fail by February. Sounds familiar? Thats because while setting a goal might feel empowering, the lack of planning leaves us with nothing but good intentions. Taavo Godtfredsen and Samantha Allison, authors of The 5x CEO, studied cohorts of CEOs to determine what made the best leaders and their teams rise to the top. As one portfolio company CEO told them, “Create the strategic outcome that you’re trying to get to and then align your actions relentlessly to deliver it.” The Danger of Wildly Ambitious Goals Im not saying to not set big goals. The mistake to avoid is setting goals that are too big or too vague. For example: imagine deciding that youre going to lose 30 pounds in two months. First of all, good luck. Second of all, while this is a noble goal, its incredibly easy to get discouraged if progress doesnt come quickly, or if you dont have a clear path to follow. The goal is so large (or intimidating) that it becomes a demotivator. A better approach would be to set smaller goals with milestones that you can realistically achieve. Instead of losing 30 pounds, break it down into manageable milestones: lose five pounds in the first month, aim for three workouts a week, and so on. Each small achievement gives a feeling of progress, and the cumulative effect is much more sustainable over time. Similarly in business, setting a goal to “Be the category leader!” is ambitious and inspiring, but without a step-by-step plan on how to get theremarket research, increased sales support, innovative partnershipsits just a distant dream. Setting smaller goals within that larger vision (e.g., increase sales by 10% this quarter, build a social media presence, etc.) gives you specific targets to work toward. Goals Need Plans. Period. Goals are like the destination on a map, but your plan is the GPS that gets you there. Without that road map, you could be driving in circles. Plans that break down larger goals into smaller, actionable steps make the journey manageable, measurable, and motivating. I like the example of Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. As an entrepreneur, she had a big goal: to create a revolutionary undergarment that would change the way women feel about their clothing. But Blakely didnt just rely on this one big idea. She broke her goal into smaller steps: she spent time learning about manufacturing, secured a meeting with potential investors, and went through the process of patenting her product. Impressively, Blakely started Spanx with just $5,000, but by creating a detailed plan and breaking her vision into incremental steps, she eventually created a billion-dollar business. Create a Plan That Works So, how do you turn goals into actionable plans? Try these tips: Break it Down: Divide your goal into smaller, manageable chunks. If your goal is to write a book, dont just aim to write a book. Set specific targets, like write 500 words a day or complete one chapter per month. Set SMART Goals: The SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) is a simple yet effective way to ensure your goals are grounded in reality. Rather than saying, I want to get fit, say, I will work out four times a week for 30 minutes for the next three months. Create a Timeline: Every goal needs a timeline attached to it. Deadlines create urgency and help you stay accountable. Eliminate Obstacles: What might stand in your way? Whether its time, money, or motivation, identifying potential barriers helps you plan for and eliminate them. Track Progress: Regularly check your progress. Are you meeting your milestones? Make adjustments as needed. The Power of Consistency Like many things in life, its not the grand gestures but rather the accumulation of daily actions that make an impact: the daily writing, the daily workouts, the daily efforts that add up to lasting change. The more you break them down into manageable steps and stay consistent, the more achievable they become. Its tempting to set huge, audacious goals, but without a plan to back them up, you risk disappointing yourself. So start small, plan your steps, and stay consistent. Its the journeyone small step at a timethat leads to big results.
Category:
E-Commerce
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