Where is the year going? It’s nearly the end of February, and with it we are two-thirds of the way through the first quarter. And we’re already talking about the timing of the coming state budget. Time does accelerate as you age. Just sayin’.

In miscellany this morning:

US markets returned from a three-day weekend to snap a six-session winning streak that has prompted far more nervousness than usual as observers remain skiddish on fears of continued high volatility. (FT)

The recent correction that has everyone spooked was just an “appetizer, not the main course.” That’s still to come later this year, Morgan Stanley says, noting that developed markets “remain in the late stages of a late-cycle environment. Rising equities, rising inflation, tightening policy, higher commodity prices and higher volatility are (in our view) a pretty normal pattern if that view is correct.” (CNBC)

Bitcoin has so far “pretty much failed … on the traditional aspects of money,” says Bank of England Governor Mark Carney. (CNBC)

Beware companies that want to “move beyond their names,” as Coca-Cola CEO’s seems to want to do in her quest to ensure the company becomes “known or something other than soft drinks.” (WSJ)

If you’re a small business or a startup, hiring a full-time person to lead your recruitment and hiring process might be the best thing you can do to drive the growth of your firm, one CEO argues. (WSJ)

New study suggests that counting calories may not be the (only) way to lose weight: The authors of a piece for the Journal of the American Medical Association found that “people who cut back on added sugar, refined grains and highly processed foods while concentrating on eating plenty of vegetables and whole foods — without worrying about counting calories or limiting portion sizes — lost significant amounts of weight over the course of a year.” (New York Times)