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

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

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. 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

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

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

U.S. Economy Grows 1.9% in Fourth Quarter

The U.S. economy reverted to a sluggish pace of growth in the fourth quarter of 2016 but still ended the year with some momentum going into the first quarter of 2017.In its first of three official estimates, the Commerce Department said gross domestic product expanded at an inflation and seasonal...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 30, 2017

CBO Revises 2017 Budget Gap Down to $559B

The Congressional Budget Office has revised downward its federal deficit projection for 2017 but continues to forecast that the shortfall will reach 5% of gross domestic product by 2027.According to its latest Budget and Economic Outlook, the CBO’s estimate of the 2017 deficit is now $559 billion...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 25, 2017

RAND Corp. Taps Nonprofit Veteran as Finance Chief

Continuing the direction of his career shift to the nonprofit sector after more than two decades working for public companies, Michael Januzik has been named CFO of the RAND Corporation, the large public-policy think tank.Michael Januzik NonprofitBefore moving to RAND, which operates in 53 countr...

By David Katz • Jan. 17, 2017

U.S. Retail Sales End Year With 0.6% Increase

U.S. retail sales posted another strong month to end 2016, powered by strong demand for autos and a jump in spending by online shoppers.The Commerce Department said retail sales increased 0.6% last month after rising 0.2% in November. Sales were up 4.1% from December 2015 and rose 3.3% for all of...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 17, 2017

Weekly Jobless Claims Rise Slightly to 247,000

The number of Americans making initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose in the first week of 2017 but remained near the lowest level in decades.The Labor Department said Thursday that initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, increased 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 247,000 for the...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 13, 2017

Wages Post Biggest Gain Since Recession

Employers added fewer jobs than expected in December but the economic recovery passed a major milestone as the average hourly wages of U.S. workers showed the biggest annual gain since June 2009.The Labor Department reported that nonfarm payrolls grew by 156,000 jobs last month. Economists had fo...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 9, 2017

Panel Warns of China’s Threat to Chipmakers

Chinese industrial policies pose a “real threat” to the U.S. semiconductor industry, according to a report by a presidential panel that recommends the U.S. respond by stepping up the pace of innovation.The Chinese government unveiled a plan in 2014 to achieve a leadership position in the chip ind...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 6, 2017

Weekly Initial Jobless Claims Drop Sharply

The number of Americans making initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped last week to the second lowest level in four decades, underscoring the strength of the labor market.The Labor Department said initial jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, dropped 28,000 to a seasonally adjusted ...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 6, 2017

U.S. Factory Activity Surges to Two-Year High

U.S. manufacturing activity rose to a two-year high last month amid a sharp increase in new orders, according to the Institute for Supply Management.In its latest Report on Business, the ISM said its index of national factory activity rose 1.5 percentage points to 54.7 last month, the highest lev...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 4, 2017

Ford Chooses U.S. Investment Over Mexico Plan

One of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign predictions came true Tuesday as Ford Motor announced it is scrapping a plan to build a $1.6 billion factory in Mexico and will instead invest $700 million in a Michigan plant.The automaker had planned to build small cars at the proposed factory in S...

By Matthew Heller • Jan. 3, 2017