Pragmatists, Radicals Vie on U.S. Trade Policy

In January, the Trump Administration stormed into office after proclaiming to anyone who would listen that decades of Washington-sponsored multilateral trade deals were costing hundreds of thousands of Americans their jobs, U.S. corporations their profits. and the government its bargaining positi...

By Johan Gott • March 21, 2017

The Parable of the Wizard and NAFTA

There once was a very powerful wizard who, quite late in his life, cast the Spell of the MAGA, which allowed him to become the ruler of a great kingdom. But though he ruled all he could see, he was not happy, because he was certain the kingdom to his south was causing great hurt to his land.“This...

By Gregory Husisian • March 20, 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

Protectionism Hits the Global CFO

The United States and other powerhouse global economies currently stand at a watershed moment, waiting for the rules of global trade to be rewritten. This uncertainty adds to the challenges facing the modern CFO, who must drive business growth while ensuring compliance with the new playbook.On th...

By Bodhi Ganguli • March 17, 2017

Tax Refund Delays Slow Retail Sales Growth

U.S. retail sales slowed sharply in February after big gains the previous two months as delays in tax refunds apparently offset the mild weather.The Commerce Department said retail sales increased 0.1%, matching economists’ estimates, while a measure of core sales —  which excludes the volatile s...

By Matthew Heller • March 16, 2017

Producer Prices Post 2.2% Year-on-Year Gain

Prices paid by U.S. businesses for goods and services posted their largest year-on-year gain in nearly five years last month as rising oil prices and a weaker dollar continued to fuel inflationary pressures.The Labor Department said its producer price index jumped 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted ba...

By Matthew Heller • March 15, 2017

Jobs Report Boosts Case for Interest Rate Hike

The case for the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates later this week may have been sealed by another strong employment report.The Labor Department said employers added 235,000 jobs in February, well above analysts’ expectations and the average monthly payroll growth for all of last year....

By Matthew Heller • March 13, 2017

Trade Deficit Rises 9.6% to Near 5-Year High

After declining in December, the U.S. trade deficit rose to a near five-year high in January amid a surge in imports, illustrating how difficult it may be for President Trump to fulfill his campaign pledge to reduce America’s trade gap.The Commerce Department said the trade deficit increased 9.6%...

By Matthew Heller • March 8, 2017

Factory Goods Orders Rise 1.2% in January

New orders for U.S.-made goods rose more than expected in January, a second straight increase that indicated the recovery in the manufacturing sector is continuing to gain strength.The Commerce Department said factory goods orders rose 1.2% after an unrevised 1.3% jump in December. Economists pol...

By Matthew Heller • March 7, 2017

The CFOs Who Wouldn’t Be King

Chief financial officers in the United States are feeling wildly optimistic about the country’s economic prospects, guardedly optimistic about their company’s prospects, and not very optimistic at all—in fact, for the most part, downright pessimistic—about the prospects for their own career advan...

By Josh Hyatt • March 2, 2017

Industrial Strength

The heart of Donald Trump’s economic policy and much of his rhetoric focus on keeping factory jobs in the United States. The president has personally courted large companies with tax breaks and incentives, and announced a manufacturing jobs program aimed at getting “Americans back to work again.”...

By CFO Editorial Staff • March 2, 2017

Durable Goods Orders Rally With 1.8% Gain

Orders for durable goods manufactured by U.S. companies rose more than expected in January but the gain was due entirely to the aerospace industry.The Commerce Department said orders rose 1.8% after two months of declines, topping economists’ expectations of a 1.7% increase amid a 69.6% jump in o...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 28, 2017

GOP Voters Fuel Rise in Consumer Sentiment

The latest reading of a gauge of consumer sentiment indicates an “unprecedented partisan divergence” between how Republicans and Democrats see the economy.The University of Michigan said its final reading of consumer sentiment was 96.3 in February, up from the preliminary reading of 95.7 earlier ...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 27, 2017

Jobless Claims Indicate Labor Market Strength

The number of Americans making initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but the four-week moving average of claims fell to its lowest level since July 1973.The Labor Department said initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 24, 2017

Consumer Prices Post Biggest Gain in 4 Years

The latest U.S. government data on retail sales and consumer prices may have shortened the odds that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again next month.The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that retail sales rose 0.4% in January following an upwardly revised 1.0% gain the previou...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 16, 2017

Company With the Best Reputation: Amazon

Now that a precedent has been set for a businessperson being elected president, and considering that the U.S. populace remains severely divided over politics, there can be only one logical choice for the next president.Drum roll please: Amazon.com boss Jeff Bezos.OK, so Bezos told Billboard on Do...

By David McCann • Feb. 15, 2017

Expiring Patents: a Primer for CFOs

Patents are valuable assets that can create and protect market share. But they expire after a certain period of time. Therefore, at the expiration of a patent’s term, a patent owner must be ready for others to enter the marketplace, and the owner needs to recognize that any royalty income from li...

By Brennan Swain and Rod S.Berman • Feb. 14, 2017

Consumer Sentiment Falls Below 13-Year High

The post-election boost to consumer sentiment about the U.S. economy appears to have worn off, but the February level was still among the five highest in the past decade.The University of Michigan’s latest survey of consumers showed a preliminary index of consumer sentiment reading of 95.7, down ...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 13, 2017

Jobless Claims Fall Unexpectedly to 234,000

In a sign that the labor market is continuing to tighten, the number of Americans making initial claims for state unemployment benefits last week fell just shy of the lowest level in decades.The Labor Department said initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, dropped by 12,000 to a seasonally a...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 10, 2017

Partnering with a New CEO to Boost Shareholder Returns

The success of a publicly traded company can be gauged by its total shareholder return (TSR), which reflects share price appreciation and dividends. TSR is often judged over as little as two or three years. Hence, it stands to reason that a new CEO’s main focus should be TSR, but TSR is an outcom...

By Marwaan Karame • Feb. 8, 2017

Trade Gap Widens to Record $502B in 2016

The U.S. trade deficit rose slightly in 2016 to the highest level in four years as exports fell faster than imports amid a weak global economy and stronger dollar.The Commerce Department said on Tuesday the trade gap dropped 3.2% in December to $44.3 billion, ending two straight months of increas...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 8, 2017

‘Trump Bump’ Buoys CFO Optimism

With the U.S. presidential election fading in the rearview mirror, the country’s CFOs are feeling upbeat about the economic road ahead. The latest Duke University/CFO Global Business Outlook survey, which drew responses from nearly 1,000 senior finance executives, found U.S. finance chiefs harbor...

By Josh Hyatt • Feb. 7, 2017

U.S. Productivity Rises 1.3% in Fourth Quarter

U.S. worker productivity rose for a second straight quarter but the annual increase was the smallest in five years, continuing a broader trend of weakness.The Labor Department reported that productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, increased at a 1.3% seasonally adjusted annual rate ...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 3, 2017

U.S. Hiring Posts Biggest Gain Since September

U.S. employers picked up the pace of hiring in January but other data in the latest employment report suggested there is still slack in the labor market, dampening expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again in March.The Labor Department reported Friday that employers ad...

By Matthew Heller • Feb. 3, 2017

Deutsche Bank Fined Over Laundering Controls

New York State’s main financial regulator has fined Deutsche Bank $425 million for allowing $10 billion in sham trades involving Russian investors by failing to properly enforce protections against money laundering.The “mirror trades” that were carried out through Deutsche’s Moscow, London and Ne...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 31, 2017

Inflation Edges Closer to Fed’s 2% Target

U.S. consumer spending rose solidly last month while, in another sign of economic growth, the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of inflation reached its highest level in more than two years.The Commerce Department said Monday that personal consumption increased 0.5% after gaining 0.2% in Novemb...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 31, 2017