The Trial Balance is CFO’s weekly preview of stories, stats, and events to help you prepare.
Part 1: The 6 a.m. CFO
This week, Datasite’s CFO Tom Donnelly shares his thoughts on meeting structures, self-awareness in leadership, and the importance of developing talent.
He also offers his favorite work mantra: “If you take a work colleague’s inventory, be ready to have your own inventory inspected.” (9/21)
Part 2: This Week
The Federal Open Market Committee’s meeting on September 19-20 may seem anti-climactic because Fed funds futures markets are pricing in only a 1% probability of a rate increase. But there will be plenty of parsing of Jerome Powell’s press conference and the committee’s updated economic projections. Will the Fed have to keep interest rates higher, longer to defeat the bogeyman of inflation? Will Powell signal that one of two more quarter-point increases will be the peak, and will one increase come by the end of 2023? Will the Fed even broach the subject of future rate cuts? The answers come Wednesday.
With the successful IPO of Arm Holdings last week, bullish investors are hoping two more IPOs pricing this week sustain the momentum: grocery delivery company Instacart and SaaS company Klaviyo. Instacart plans to raise $638 million at a $9.6 billion market cap, and customer engagement platform Klaviyo plans to raise $499 million at an $8 billion market cap. Rebooting a cold IPO market is no easy feat — neither deal's success is assured.
Microsoft is holding a special event in New York this Thursday (September 21) that is expected to feature details on new Surface laptops and the artificial intelligence capabilities coming to Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, including Copilot, the assistant for Windows. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will be present.
Earnings are on tap from AutoZone, Steelcase, FedEx, General Mills, KB Home, Darden Restaurants, and FactSet Research.
The United Auto Workers' strike against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis enters its fourth day on Monday.
Finally, on the cusp of autumn, it’s climate week in New York, with the United Nations holding a Climate Ambition Summit on Wednesday.
Part 3: How to Unlock Financial Data as a Growth Tool
CFOs are constantly searching for something to give their company an edge, whether over the competition or their own current performance. What if the key to gaining that edge is hidden in your own data? In this article, Pipe CFO Ben Goodyear discusses the importance of data for companies at any stage and how the right tools and expertise can help you unlock it to drive growth and business health. (9/19)
