Inflation Shows Biggest Drop Since Jan. 2015

U.S. consumer spending was unchanged in March for a second straight month while a measure of inflation fell for the first time in more than a year, but some economists see the weakness as only temporary.The government revised February spending to show no gain from the earlier 0.1% increase. Econo...

By Matthew Heller • May 2, 2017

U.S. Economic Growth Slows to 0.7% in Q1

Dashing hopes for a “Trump bump,” the U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in three years during the first quarter amid a sharp dropoff in consumer spending.In its first of three estimates, the Labor Department said gross domestic product increased at an annualized rate of 0.7%, missing expectat...

By Matthew Heller • May 1, 2017

Explore the Trendline➔

Tax policy shifts: What CFOs need to know to stay ahead

Discover how evolving tax policies are creating new opportunities and challenges for CFOs.

By CFO.com staff

Durable Goods Orders Increase 0.7% in March

Orders for durable goods manufactured by U.S. companies rose for a third straight month in March but the gain was lower than economists expected and a category that reflects business investment plans remained weak.The Commerce Department said orders rose 0.7% last month, the weakest showing since...

By Matthew Heller • April 28, 2017

CFOs Must Lead Adoption of The Cloud

I read a quote from Warren Buffett the other day: “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”Mana Mojadadr Mana Mojadadr, The CloudIt struck a chord in me, and not just because he’s one of the world’s most successful people, with great financial instinct. It’...

By Mana Mojadadr • April 27, 2017

Bebe Stores to Shut Down All of Its Locations

Bebe Stores announced Friday it will close all of its stores, becoming another apparel retailer to have succumbed to online competition and shifting fashion tastes.The women’s clothing chain said in a regulatory filing that it had hired liquidator Tiger Capital Group to sell all of its remaining ...

By Matthew Heller • April 21, 2017

GM Halts Venezuela Production as Plant Seized

Venezuela’s political and economic crisis has engulfed General Motors, which announced Thursday it had ceased operations in the country after authorities seized its only plant there.The automaker said authorities conducted an “illegal judicial seizure” of the plant in Valencia, with other assets,...

By Matthew Heller • April 20, 2017

IMF Boosts Growth Forecast for 2017 to 3.5%

The International Monetary Fund has raised its outlook for world economic growth while denouncing protectionist policies as a threat to global economic integration and cooperation.In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF forecast a growth rate of 3.5% for 2017 and 3.6% in 2018, compared with...

By Matthew Heller • April 20, 2017

China’s Economy Grows 6.9% in First Quarter

China’s economy appears to be maintaining the momentum of the second half of last year, driven by the government’s traditional formula of state-led infrastructure spending and real estate investment.The world’s second-largest economy grew 6.9% in the first quarter, topping economists’ estimates o...

By Matthew Heller • April 18, 2017

Retail Sales Drop 0.2% in 2nd Straight Decline

U.S. retail sales fell for a second straight month in March, another sign that consumer spending has weakened early in 2017 despite a healthy labor market.The Commerce Department said retail sales declined 0.2% last month, exceeding economists’ estimates of a 0.1% drop. Coming on the heels of Feb...

By Matthew Heller • April 17, 2017

Producer Prices Show First Drop Since August

Prices paid by U.S. businesses for goods and services fell in March for the first time in seven months but the annual trend continues to indicate that inflationary pressures are increasing.The Labor Department said its producer price index fell 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis last month compa...

By Matthew Heller • April 14, 2017

WTO Forecasts 2.4% Growth in Trade This Year

After another year of weak growth in 2016, trade should rebound this year but protectionist policies could undermine the recovery, according to the World Trade Organization.The WTO forecast that the volume of world merchandise trade will expand by 2.4% in 2017, up from just 1.3% last year. But ci...

By Matthew Heller • April 13, 2017

U.S. Employers Add Only 98,000 Jobs in March

After two months of stellar growth, the March jobs report delivered something of a shock as U.S. employers added only 98,000 jobs, the fewest since last May.The sharp drop in job growth followed gains of more than 200,000 in January and February. Economists had forecast payrolls increasing 180,00...

By Matthew Heller • April 10, 2017

No Trump Travel Ban Effect Yet on Air Travel

Global demand for air travel is continuing to grow at a “robust rate” despite the Trump administration’s attempted U.S. travel ban, the International Air Transport Association reported.Total revenue passenger kilometers rose 4.8% in February, compared to the same month last year. Adjusting for th...

By Matthew Heller • April 7, 2017

U.S. Trade Gap Narrows to $43.6B in February

The U.S. trade deficit pulled back last month from January’s near two-year high as exports increased to their highest level in more than two years.The Commerce Department said the trade gap dropped 9.6% in February to $43.6 billion after reaching $48.2 billion the previous month. Economists had f...

By Matthew Heller • April 5, 2017

Why You Should Spend Dollars on Patent, Trademark Protection

Companies pay people to think. Inventing and branding are two primary areas where this occurs regularly. But many companies fail to adequately protect the thoughts they pay for, leading to unnecessary complications and losses. This, in turn, means loss of company value and a narrowing of opportun...

By Sean D. Detweiler • April 5, 2017

U.S. Factory Activity Posts 7th Straight Gain

U.S. manufacturing activity rose for a seventh straight month in March while employment in manufacturing climbed to its highest level since June 2011, according to the Institute for Supply Management.In its latest Report on Business, the ISM said its index of national factory activity fell slight...

By Matthew Heller • April 4, 2017

Insurance’s Innovation Gap

When Soubhagya Parija moved from his job as risk strategy director at Walmart to the post of chief risk officer at the New York Power Authority in 2015, he learned that corporations “could do with more innovation from the insurance industry.”Parija was having trouble finding coverage for the util...

By David Katz • April 3, 2017

Special Report: Commercial Insurance at the Crossroads

Each day, it seems, fresh reports of the nation’s inability to respond to Russian attacks during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign spotlight what may be a vast asymmetry between cyber risks and our institutions’ ability to handle them. Although the biggest news of cyber threats has lately cente...

By David Katz • April 3, 2017

Consumer Spending Slows to 0.1% Increase

U.S. consumer spending posted the smallest gain since August while inflation continued to show signs of firming, with one measure showing its biggest annual gain in nearly five years.The Commerce Department said personal consumption rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in February after a unrevised 0....

By Matthew Heller • March 31, 2017

Corporate Profits Climb 0.5% in 4th Quarter

U.S. corporate profits rose for the third time in four quarters but some analysts are paring back their forecasts for the first quarter of this year amid some doubt about the positive impact of President Trump’s fiscal policies.The Commerce Department said adjusted-pretax profits rose at a 0.5% a...

By Matthew Heller • March 31, 2017

Amazon to Shut Down Quidsi’s Shopping Sites

Amazon is shutting down Diapers.com and five other shopping websites operated by Quidsi, citing the failure of the division to turn a profit since Amazon acquired it in November 2010.The shutdown will result in the loss of more than 250 jobs at Quidsi, which was founded by Marc Lore, now the head...

By Matthew Heller • March 30, 2017

Durable Goods Orders Rise 1.7% in February

Orders for durable goods manufactured by U.S. companies rose for a second straight month in February though a category that reflects business investment plans slipped slightly.The Commerce Department said orders rose 1.7%, topping economists’ expectations of a 1.2% increase and following January’...

By Matthew Heller • March 27, 2017

What U.S. Patent Owners Lost in Trump’s TPP Pullout

Trade agreements often include detailed provisions on intellectual property that push our trading partners to conform to U.S. standards of protection. The Trans Pacific Partnership is just such an agreement.When Donald Trump, in one of his first acts as president, directed the U.S. trade represen...

By Jay Erstling • March 24, 2017

Oil Prices Fall as Crude Stocks Hit New Record

Oil prices slid to four-month lows on a U.S. government report that showed U.S. crude oil inventories rose to a new record last week.According to the Energy Information Administration, crude stocks hit 533.1 million barrels after surging 5 million barrels in the week to March 17, nearly double an...

By Matthew Heller • March 23, 2017

The Gains and Losses of Mercantilism

These are interesting times for those of us who make our living advising clients on matters of international trade. With the new presidential administration, there is a new attitude toward the utility of sweeping, multilateral free-trade agreements like the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the...

By Pete Mento • March 22, 2017