Beware Merger Targets’ Cybersecurity Risks

Several months ago in Brussels, the European Commission finished hammering out its sweeping General Data Protection legislation, slated to go into full effect starting in May of 2018. The legislation is designed to provide strong and uniform data privacy protections for individuals within the Eur...

By Information Security Forum and Steve Durbin • Sept. 21, 2016

Food, Gas Keep Producer Prices Unchanged

Prices paid by U.S. businesses for goods and services were unchanged in August as food and gas prices continue to keep inflation on the low side.The unchanged reading in the Labor Department’s producer price index was up from July’s decline of 0.2%. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 16, 2016

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

Median Income Growth Hits Record in 2015

U.S. households experienced a record increase in income last year, according to a better-than-expected Census Bureau report that indicated the recovery from the Great Recession has gained traction.Median household income rose to $56,500 in 2015 last year, up 5.2%, or $2,800, from 2014, while the ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 14, 2016

IEA Walks Back Forecast of End to Oil Glut

The International Energy Agency on Tuesday indicated its predictions that the world’s oil glut would disappear may have been premature, citing “wobbling” Asian oil demand and falling oil consumption in Europe.The IEA’s Oil Market Report for September marked a shift from last month, when it predic...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 13, 2016

Hiring Lags Well Behind Job Openings in July

A job market metric that is closely watched by the U.S. Federal Reserve shows plenty of job openings but a relative lack of hiring, possibly indicating employers are having trouble finding qualified workers.In its latest monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), the Labor Department...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 8, 2016

Mondelez Unveils New Plan for U.S. Growth

A week after scrapping its bid to acquire Hershey, Mondelez International is now planning to generate U.S. growth through its own products, including an Oreo branded chocolate bar.The world’s second-largest confectionery company said Wednesday it would launch Oreo bars made with its Milka chocola...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 7, 2016

U.S. Job Growth Falls to 151,000 in August

U.S. employment growth cooled off in August after two straight months of strong gains, dimming the prospects that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this month.The Labor Department said hiring rose by 151,000 jobs last month, sharply down from an upwardly revised 275,000 increase in Ju...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 6, 2016

62% of Execs See Business Growth in Next Year

Nearly two-thirds of business executives forecast their companies will expand in the next 12 months while optimism about the U.S. economy has stabilized since the beginning of the year, according to the third-quarter AICPA Economic Outlook Survey.Profit expectations, employment, and training and ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 2, 2016

Consumer Spending Up for 4th Straight Month

U.S. consumer spending maintained its momentum in July, fueling expectations that economic growth will pick up in the third quarter.The Commerce Department said personal consumption rose a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in July from a month earlier, marking the fourth straight monthly increase. Incomes...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 30, 2016

GDP Growth Revised Down to 1.1% for Q2

U.S. economic growth in the second quarter was slightly lower than originally estimated, but one measure of corporate profits rose for a second straight quarter.The Commerce Department said gross domestic product increased at a 1.1% annual rate in the spring, compared to its earlier estimate of 1...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 29, 2016

Durable Goods Orders Rebound With 4.4% Gain

A surge in U.S. durable goods orders in July was enough to fuel hopes that business investment is picking up, but some economists cautioned against reading too much into the increase in demand.The Commerce Department said orders for items meant to last three years rose 4.4% to $228.9 billion last...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 26, 2016

Investment Advisers Fined Over F-Squared Ads

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has fined 13 investment advisory firms a total of $2.2 million for spreading the false performance claims made by the now-defunct F-Squared Investments about its flagship product.F-Squared was one of the largest marketers of investment products using ex...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 26, 2016

U.S. Firms Profitable in China Despite Headwinds

Most U.S. businesses operating in China remain profitable despite the country’s economic slowdown but business confidence continues to soften, according to the US-China Business Council.In its annual survey of China’s business environment, the council found that 65% of businesses increased revenu...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 25, 2016

CBO Increases 2016 Deficit Forecast to $590B

The Congressional Budget Office has raised its projected U.S. budget deficit estimate for 2016 to $590 billion, reflecting lower-than-expected tax revenues and increased spending on Social Security and Medicare.The deficit that the CBO is currently projecting is $56 billion higher than the one th...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 24, 2016

New Home Sales Surge 12.4% to 9-Year High

New home sales in the U.S. rose sharply last month to their highest level in nearly nine years, as the housing market showed continuing strength that could augur well for economic growth in the third quarter.Sales of new single-family houses increased 12.4% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 23, 2016

Ex-Goldman Trader Fined $400K in Fraud Case

A former top mortgage trader at Goldman Sachs has been charged with misrepresenting the terms of trades to customers, causing them to pay higher prices and increasing the firm’s profits.The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Edwin Chin, 35, concealed the actual price Goldman paid for re...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 17, 2016

Producer Prices Drop for 1st Time Since March

Prices paid by U.S. businesses for goods and services fell in July, the first decline since March and a possible indication that inflation pressures remain muted going into the second half of the year.The Labor Department’s producer price index dropped a seasonally adjusted 0.4% last month, follo...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 15, 2016

Global Oil Production to Fall Behind Demand

Global production of crude oil will fall behind demand in the third quarter of this year as the current oversupply that has fueled the oil price slump clears out, according to the International Energy Agency.The Paris-based organization predicted in its Oil Market Report for August that output is...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 12, 2016

Anatomy of the Future CFO

Earlier this spring, at the 2016 CFO of the Future Summit held at Harvard University, which was co-sponsored by Accenture Strategy, I had the privilege of meeting with current and next- generation leading CFOs to discuss the changing role of the CFO in a digital world. Among academics, finance ex...

By Christian Campagna and Accenture • Aug. 11, 2016

U.S. Productivity Drops for Third Straight Quarter

The latest U.S. productivity numbers showed a third straight quarterly decline, extending a long-term holding pattern that could keep a lid on the growth of the economy as a whole.According to the Labor Department, productivity, which measures hourly output per worker, dropped at a 0.5% annual ra...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 10, 2016

Job Market Posts Second Straight Strong Gain

Hiring in the U.S. surged for a second straight month in July, indicating May’s downturn was a fluke and the labor market remains robust.Total non-farm payroll employment increased by a seasonally adjusted 255,000 last month, the Labor Department reported, after an upwardly revised gain of 292,00...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 8, 2016

Second Thoughts on an Anti-Whaling IPO

Peter Campbell displays a refreshing strain of self-criticism that’s quite rare in a profession where self-promotion is commonly seen as a necessary trait in rising to the top.Peter Campbell, CFO, Mimecast Starting with the November 2015 IPO of Mimecast, the email archiving security company where...

By David Katz • Aug. 4, 2016

Consumer Spending Keeps Up Solid Growth

Consumer spending continued to be a bright spot for the U.S. economy in June, but inflation remained well below the Federal Reserve’s target.The Commerce Department said Tuesday that personal consumption, which measures how much Americans spent on everything from haircuts to cars, increased 0.4% ...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 3, 2016

GDP Misses Forecasts With 1.2% Growth in Q2

U.S. economic growth in the second quarter was well below what economists expected, but concerns about the recovery stalling were tempered by robust consumer spending.The Commerce Department said gross domestic product increased at a 1.2% annual rate after rising by a downwardly revised 0.8% pace...

By Matthew Heller • Aug. 1, 2016

U.S. Durable Goods Orders Drop 4% in June

New orders for U.S. durable goods dropped sharply in June, dragged down by weaker demand for civilian aircraft and defense products.The Commerce Department said orders for items meant to last three years sank 4% to $219.8 billion last month, the biggest drop in almost two years. Economists polled...

By Matthew Heller • July 28, 2016