VW Charges up Spending on Electric Vehicles

Volkwagen is beefing up its bet on electric cars, approving a 34 billion euro ($40 billion) spending plan that will accelerate its shift away from combustion-engine vehicles.The world’s largest automaker by unit sales will spend the money on electric cars, autonomous driving and new mobility serv...

By Matthew Heller • Nov. 20, 2017

Retail Sales Point to Strong Holiday Season

U.S. retail sales exceeded expectations in October and indicated stronger consuming spending in coming months, including the holiday shopping season.The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.2% last month following a revised 1.9% gain in September. Economists had expected no change the big...

By Matthew Heller • Nov. 16, 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

OPEC Sees Minimal EV Impact on Oil Demand

Even if one in four passenger vehicles is electric by 2040, up from less than 0.2% last year, OPEC does not expect global oil demand will drop “meaningfully” over the next 23 years.In its 2017 World Oil Outlook, OPEC predicts consumption will rise from 95.4 million barrels per day in 2016 to 111....

By Matthew Heller • Nov. 8, 2017

Job Growth Gets Back on Track After Hurricanes

After taking a beating in September from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the U.S. labor market rebounded in October with the biggest monthly jobs gain in more than a year, though the increase fell below economists’ expectations.The Labor Department said employers added 261,000 jobs last month, follow...

By Matthew Heller • Nov. 6, 2017

Thinking Thin

The idea of lean started with Sakichi Toyoda, a Japanese inventor and industrialist who pioneered the idea of “autonomation,” otherwise known as “intelligent automation” or “automation with a human touch,” according to Wikipedia.Sakichi applied this idea to looms — weaving devices used to make cl...

By Kerry Maruna • Nov. 3, 2017

US Economy Surges 3% Despite Hurricanes

The U.S. economy posted another solid quarter in the July-September period, defying expectations that the recent hurricanes might knock it off track.The nation’s gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of 3% in the third quarter following a 3.1% gain in the previous quarter. It was the ...

By Matthew Heller • Oct. 30, 2017

Fund Adviser Accused of $229K Expenses Fraud

A former senior partner at Apollo Management has been charged with defrauding private-equity fund clients he advised by billing them for about $290,000 in personal expenses, including family vacations and visits to a hair salon.The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said Mohammed Ali Rashid,...

By Matthew Heller • Oct. 25, 2017

What to Expect as a Portfolio-Firm CFO Candidate

An experienced CFO can join a middle-market private equity-backed portfolio company with a base salary between $250,000 to $350,000 plus bonuses and equity. Altogether, with equity, a high-performing CFO could make millions of dollars and then do it again with another firm.Thomas Bonney Given tha...

By Thomas Bonney and David Haslam • Oct. 20, 2017

Housing Starts Fall to Lowest Level in a Year

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma put a damper on U.S. housing construction in September while a decline in building permits raised fears that the housing market recovery is stalling.The Commerce Department said housing starts fell at a 4.7% month-over-month clip fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rat...

By Matthew Heller • Oct. 19, 2017

Gas Prices Drive 0.5% CPI Gain in September

U.S. consumer prices continued a mini-surge in September as gas prices soared due to hurricane-related supply disruption but the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure remained weak.The Labor Department reported that the consumer price index, or cost of living, increased 0.5% last month, t...

By Matthew Heller • Oct. 16, 2017

Dell to Invest $1 Billion in ‘Internet of Things’

After pivoting from personal computers to data center hardware and software, Dell Technologies is now charting a course toward the next state of its evolution — providing “distributed” computing through the Internet of Things.The company said Tuesday it will invest $1 billion in new IoT products,...

By Matthew Heller • Oct. 11, 2017

U.S. Hikes Tariffs on Bombardier Jets to 300%

In another high-stakes trade battle, the U.S. Commerce Department on Friday proposed increasing tariffs on Bombardier CSeries jets to 300% after determining that the Canadian firm sold the aircraft below cost to Delta Air Lines.The department began an antidumping investigation of Bombardier in re...

By Matthew Heller • Oct. 6, 2017

Whirlpool Wins Battle in S. Korea Trade War

The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled domestic washing machine manufacturers are being harmed by rising imports from South Korea, escalating a trade fight that may result in protectionist measures.The ruling was a victory for Whirlpool, which had brought a “global safeguards” petition...

By Matthew Heller • Oct. 5, 2017

Hurricane Harvey Slows Consumer Spending

U.S. consumer spending rose only slightly in August, providing further evidence of Hurricane Harvey’s effects on the economy, while inflation remained stubbornly low.The Commerce Department said Friday that consumer spending increased just 0.1% last month, following a much larger 0.3% advance in ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 29, 2017

Durable Goods Orders Climb 1.7% in August

The volatile aircraft sector boosted U.S. durable goods orders in August while another gain in business investment indicated the recovery in manufacturing is picking up steam.The Commerce Department on Wednesday said orders for long-lasting goods manufactured by U.S. companies rose 1.7% last mont...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 27, 2017

AI Will Fuel a Smarter Future for Business

For some, the thought of using artificial intelligence in business brings with it nightmares of HAL from “2001: A Space Odyssey” where the 9000 Series computer takes over the spacecraft on its voyage to Jupiter and kills off the entire crew.In reality, the impact will not be as dramatic — at leas...

By Craig Sullivan • Sept. 27, 2017

Fed Holds Steady on Rate Hike Timetable

The U.S. Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at its latest policy meeting, but indicated it was still on course to raise rates again by the end of the year despite an unexpected slowdown in inflation.The members of the Fed’s open market committee voted unanimously to keep the federal fu...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 21, 2017

Hurricane Harvey Buffets Builder Confidence

The recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida appear to have shaken the confidence of home builders.The National Association of Home Builders on Monday reported that its housing market index (HMI) fell 3 points to 64 in September amid concerns that the hurricanes will make it difficult for builders ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 18, 2017

August Retail Sales Suggest Hurricane Impact

In an early indication of the economic effects of Hurricane Harvey, U.S. retail sales fell unexpectedly in August, with auto sales particularly hard hit.The Commerce Department said retail sales dropped 0.2% last month following a revised 0.3% increase in July. Economists polled by Reuters had fo...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 18, 2017

US Consumer Prices Jump 0.4% in August

U.S. consumer prices rose in August at the fastest rate in seven months, with increases in the cost of gas and housing accounting for almost all the gain.The Labor Department reported that the consumer price index, or cost of living, increased 0.4% last month, while the rate of inflation over the...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 15, 2017

U.S. Producer Prices Increase 0.2% in August

U.S. producer prices rose in August at the fastest pace in four months but the increase was less than econcomists expected and driven in large part by a surge in the cost gas.The Labor Department said its producer price index for final demand increased 0.2 % last month after slipping 0.1% in July...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 14, 2017

Ex-Deutsche Trader Accused of RMBS Fraud

The former head of subprime trading at Deutsche Bank has been charged with misrepresenting the quality of loans underlying residential mortgage-backed securities, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in investor losses.The U.S. Department of Justice said Paul Mangione should be liable for...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 12, 2017

Auto Industry CFOs Buckle Up for Disruption

The auto industry is coming off a record run of auto sales and heading straight into headwinds of disruptive technology and a confusing global trade environment. Both threaten to undermine the formula that made it so successful for so long. What should CFOS do now to prepare?While many of the fac...

By Brian Peccarelli • Sept. 8, 2017

US Trade Gap Edges up to $43.7B in July

The U.S. trade deficit grew less than expected in July but is still running almost 10% higher through the seven months of the year as rising consumer spending and business investment draw in more imports.The Commerce Department said Wednesday the trade deficit rose 0.3% to $43.7 billion in July. ...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 7, 2017

U.S. Job Growth Slows to 156,000 in August

U.S. job growth slowed in August but manufacturing perked up and economists saw the report as more likely a sign of temporary weakness in the labor market than a long-term trend.The Labor Department on Friday said employers added 156,000 jobs last month while the unemployment rate rose to 4.4% fr...

By Matthew Heller • Sept. 4, 2017