An up-and-down economy, a volatile stock market, and continued low interest rates made 2015 a memorable year for many readers. But there were other compelling trends and stories in the world of finance, as we reported in the pages of CFO over the past 11 months. Here is a look back at some of them.
1. Many companies faced stiff currency headwinds this year and last, as we reported in our April cover story. How big was the negative currency impact on IBM’s revenue in Q4 2014?
A. $560 million
B. $783 million
C. $1.2 billion
D. $1.5 billion
2. In June, we presented the results of a survey of CFOs on work-life balance. The largest group of respondents, 34%, said their work–life balance was:
A. 50% work, 50% life
B. 60% work, 40% life
C. 70% work, 30% life
D. 80% work, 20% life
3. This $55.1 billion deal was the largest U.S. acquisition in the first half of 2015, as we noted in a July story on the M&A market:
A. H.J. Heinz acquires Kraft Foods Group
B. Anthem acquires Cigna
C. Charter Communications acquires Time Warner Cable
D. AbbVie acquires Pharmacyclics
4. In our August cover story on alternative lenders, we reported that such lenders approved 61% of small business loan applications in June. What was the approval rate at small banks?
A. 34%
B. 49%
C. 55%
D. 60%
5. According to our September story on the resurgence of corporate venture capital, which of the following sectors attracted the most corporate VC dollars in the first half of 2015, with 40% of the total?
A. Software
B. Biotechnology
C. Industrial/Energy
D. IT services
6. A Vanguard study cited in our October cover story on choosing a 401(k) plan provider reported that in 2014, the median account balance in defined-contribution plans was:
A. $19,222
B. $29,603
C. $36,118
D. $42,975
7. Finally, as we reported in November, this cost-management method was recently embraced by the likes of Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Campbell Soup, and ConAgra Foods:
A. Activity-based costing
B. Zero-based budgeting
C. Lean accounting
D.Value chain analysis
Answers: 1–C; 2–C; 3–C; 4–B; 5–A; 6–B; 7–B