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

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

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

How Verticalization Cuts Costs, Boosts Customer Value

“One size fits all” works for expandable baseball caps. But when it comes to reaching customers, meeting their needs, and enhancing their business models and operations, it may be the wrong size. Today, businesses are collecting a lot of information about their customers, and they are using it to...

By Gary Crowe • July 22, 2016

Startup CFO’s Mantra: People First, Finance Second

Cheryl Dalrymple’s title is CFO. But inside, a big chunk of her heart beats for capital of the human type.Dalrymple, a serial finance chief for technology startups, joined her latest employer, Confluent, last January. As with several previous gigs, she’s the company’s first CFO.Confluent is in an...

By David McCann • July 21, 2016

U.S. Consumer Prices Increase 0.2% in June

Consumer prices in the United States rose for a fourth straight month in June but the gain was less than expected, with cheaper food costs offsetting higher shelter and energy prices.The consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% last month, the Labor Department said Friday, follow...

By Christopher Hosford • July 15, 2016

How Federal, State, Local R&D Incentives Are Supporting Startups

For entrepreneurs seeking to expand a small business or start a new one, access to capital is the most critical factor to success. But many fledgling organizations lack what it takes to secure private financing, such as strong balance sheets and lead investors.One solution to this conundrum? The ...

By Chai Hoang, Janet Bernier, and Chris Bard • July 15, 2016

CBO Raises 2040 Debt Forecast to 122% of GDP

If current tax laws and government spending remain generally the same, the federal debt will nearly double as a percentage of GDP over the next 30 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.In its latest Long-Term Budget Outlook, CBO projected the debt will climb from a current 75% of GD...

By Matthew Heller • July 14, 2016

GE CFO Eyes “Infinite Returns” from Industrial Internet

If General Electric gets its current move into the industrial internet right, Jeffrey S. Bornstein thinks, the sky will be the limit.Currently about a year into its transformation from an industrial giant at least partly focused on finance to a full-blown industrial internet company, GE is puttin...

By David Katz • July 12, 2016

KPMG Tax Partner Accused of Insider Trading

A tax partner at KPMG has been accused of tipping off his broker to three pending mergers involving clients of the accounting firm as part of an insider trading scheme from which a friend of the broker made more than $110,000 in profits.In a civil complaint filed Thursday, the U.S. Securities and...

By Matthew Heller • July 8, 2016

Job Growth Surges in June After Spring Slump

Employers in the U.S. added far more jobs than expected last month, easing concerns about an economic slowdown fueled by May’s anemic job growth.Total non-farm payroll employment increased by a seasonally adjusted 287,000 in June, the Labor Department reported Friday, after an increase of only 11...

By Christopher Hosford • July 8, 2016

U.S. Consumer Spending Rises 0.4% in May

After a sluggish start to 2016, consumer spending shows signs of bouncing back.Personal consumption expenditures rose 0.4% in May from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected personal spending to increase 0.4%.Persona...

By Katie Kuehner-Hebert • June 29, 2016

Brexit Vote Hits U.S. Cos. Hard, But Differently

[Editor’s note: this article has been updated to provide stock market index prices at the close of the trading day.]Although shares of U.S.-based companies overall were hit hard today following Britain’ 52% to 48% vote to leave the European Union, the immediate and longer term effects of Brexit o...

By David Katz • June 24, 2016

U.S. Durable Goods Orders Fall 2.2% in May

U.S. businesses were already investing less due to rising economic uncertainty even before Britain voted to leave the European Union.New orders for manufactured durable goods in May unexpectedly fell 2.2% to $230.7 billion, after rising 3.3% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday. Non-defe...

By Katie Kuehner-Hebert • June 24, 2016

U.S. Economy to Grow Just 2.2% in 2016, IMF Says

The International Monetary Fund has lowered its growth forecast for the U.S. economy, citing the strong dollar and the slowdown in corporate investment.The fund is now predicting growth of 2.2% this year, down from 2.4% in April, while its 2.5% growth forecast for 2017 remains unchanged.“The past...

By Katie Kuehner-Hebert • June 23, 2016