Thursday's Daily Pulse

› How to spend $5 trillion: a record-breaking year in deals [AP]
Companies around the world spent a record $5.04 trillion on acquisitions in 2015, according to Dealogic, as slow worldwide economic growth and low interest rates pushed companies to combine forces.

› Fort Lauderdale business development team looks for ideas in Austin, Texas [South Florida Sun Sentinel]
Rapid growth has enlarged the Austin, Texas, metro area well beyond the famed city limits. Leaders of Fort Lauderdale, which experienced its growth spurt in the 1960s through 1990s, want to know how the self-proclaimed "music capital of the world" is managing its newfound cachet.

› Panuccio leaves mixed legacy at jobs agency [South Florida Sun-Sentinel]
When Jesse Panuccio took the helm at Florida's jobs agency in December 2012, the department was in turmoil and the state was stuck in a sputtering economic recovery.

› Raul Castro prepares Cuba for tough year despite US opening [AP]
President Raul Castro warned Cubans on Tuesday to prepare for tough economic conditions in 2016 despite warmer relations with the United States.

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