5 Ways CFOs Can Ensure M&A Deal Value in a Volatile Market

Amidst rising inflation and interest rates, stock market volatility and geopolitical instability, high-value investment opportunities like mergers and acquisitions may sound out of reach. In fact, the number of deals fell almost 17% year over year in February 2022, while the value of those deals ...

By Stephen Mortimer • Sept. 19, 2022

How Finance and IT Can Collaborate for Growth

The collaboration between finance and IT is pivotal to any organization looking to grow, said Jim Caci, CFO of software-as-a-service (Saas) and data management platform provider AvePoint. Caci believes IT and finance should leverage each other's skills to create a partnership, expanding their rel...

By Adam Zaki • Sept. 15, 2022

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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

Treasurers Shift Focus to Payments and Banking Fees

In times of economic turmoil, corporate treasury departments often change their priorities. During the financial crisis of 2007-2008, for example, the spotlight was on financial counterparties and whether they would fail. In recessionary periods, in another example, access to bank borrowing or cr...

By Vincent Ryan • Sept. 14, 2022

Core Goods Inflation Climbed 0.6% in August

To the equity markets and some economists, August’s consumer price index (CPI) reading, released on Tuesday, was an unpleasant close to summer. CPI Inflation rose more than expected. The overall consumer price index, tracking a broad swath of goods and services prices for urban consumers, increas...

By Vincent Ryan • Sept. 14, 2022

Lack of Liquidity and Price Transparency Complicate Dollar Hedging

The surging dollar has become one of the dominant macroeconomic trends. The Wall Street Journal Dollar Index, which measures the US dollar against a basket of 16 major currencies, has surged repeatedly this year and is near a 20-year high as of September 12 — up 10% since the beginning of 2022 an...

By Eric Huttman • Sept. 13, 2022

CFO Leadership: Navigating Volatility While Aiming for Growth

CFOs want to allocate assets to grow their organizations but are often over-cognizant of risk when it comes to seizing opportunity due to the contemporary volatility of markets, according to a recent McKinsey & Co. quarterly article. Identifying, navigating, and leveraging volatility with str...

By Adam Zaki • Sept. 9, 2022

20 Large Companies Filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in First Half of 2022

Large U.S. corporate bankruptcies had a very slow first half. But the pace of filings could pick up the rest of the year as higher interest rates, inflation, a global recession, and a likely growing inability to pass through higher costs eat away at margins and cash flows.Such a scenario has been...

By Vincent Ryan • Sept. 7, 2022

5 Ways CFOs Can Invest In and Build Their Network

Talent shortages, supply chain challenges, inflation, geopolitical risk. CFOs’ calendars are overflowing with a seemingly unending series of challenges that have serious short- and long-term implications for their organizations. It doesn’t seem like the most opportune moment to carve out time for...

By John Touey • Sept. 2, 2022

Nearly a Quarter of CFOs Lag in Technology Integration: Survey

In CFO's recently published annual survey, finance chiefs from across a range of industries were asked which of their duties could be made easier by advanced analytics, cloud technology, or automation. While respondents agreed there is value in collaborating with IT leaders to leverage technology...

By Adam Zaki • Sept. 1, 2022

CFO Conundrum: We Need Workers, But Can We Afford Them?

You can get good help today — but it’s far from easy. A combination of economic and societal factors has turned hiring staff into one of the trickiest propositions companies face.Most companies are optimistic about their long-term financial prospects, so they have a great need for new blood in th...

By David McCann • Aug. 31, 2022

CFO Insights on Inflation, Workforce Challenges, and Future Plans 

Download our 2022 survey report for a high-level view of finance team projections and strategies, directly from our CFO.com executive readers.

By CFO Editorial Staff • Aug. 31, 2022

Valuations of 2020, 2021 Software IPOs Sink

Finance chiefs of privately held software companies that envision a future initial public offering may have a long wait. On the other hand, potential buyers of public software companies may want to kick the tires on targets with shrinking valuations.Stock market investors have been unkind to the ...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 30, 2022

Durable Goods Orders Flat in July: Weekly Stat

Manufacturing orders for some equipment slowed in the United States in July, but only slightly. New orders for manufactured durable goods — products meant to last at least three years — fell less than $0.1 billion, or virtually unchanged, to $273.5 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau said on Wednesda...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 24, 2022

Economists Doubt Fed Will Avoid Recession

Waging war on inflation could be costly.JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon told clients last week there’s only a 10% chance of a U.S. economic slowdown that doesn’t lead to a recession. The other probabilities he supplied:10% chance of a soft landing20% to 30% chance of a "harder landing"...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 23, 2022

3 Roles CFOs Must Learn to Be an M&A Player

CFOs are the truth-tellers of the executive team. They bring facts and certainty to the company's decision-making process. Not surprisingly, the diligence and precision with which they approach their day-to-day tasks also make them indispensable in a merger or acquisition.But being an M&A pla...

By Frank Williamson • Aug. 22, 2022

N.Y. Manufacturing Business Conditions Index Dives 42 Points: Weekly Stat

Though workers in the U.S. manufacturing sector were more productive in the second quarter, as reported last week, data this week suggest declining business conditions for goods-producing firms, at least in New York State.The Empire State Manufacturing Index for August showed a steep fall (42 poi...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 17, 2022

Corporate Bond Issues Fall More Than 25% Through Q2: Weekly Stat

On Tuesday, Facebook parent Meta Platforms raised $10 billion in its first-ever corporate bond issue. But don’t expect other companies to follow suit.Sharply higher interest rates and capital market volatility will weigh on U.S. nonfinancial corporate debt issuance through 2022, said Fitch Rating...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 10, 2022

How the Real Estate Industry Is Addressing ESG Compliance

How much does it cost to heat and cool the globe’s millions of office buildings and other commercial structures? A lot more than it should, as it turns out.A majority of such buildings waste from 10% to 30% of their energy output, according to Logan Soya, founder of Aquicore, considered to be the...

By Ted Jackson • Aug. 9, 2022

1 in 4 Banks Reported Tightening Loan Terms in Q2: Weekly Stat

File this data under the category, “Signals that banks are restricting credit.”After some easing of business lending standards in 2021 and 2022, domestic U.S. banks may be getting more scrupulous when it comes to borrowers and the terms they offer on commercial and industrial (C&I) loans.The ...

By Vincent Ryan • Aug. 3, 2022

5 Ways CFOs Can Maximize Access to Capital

Over the past few years, companies issued record volumes of debt, and now that interest rates have doubled in the past six months finance teams are becoming nervous. This is understandable for companies with floating-rate debt or significant upcoming maturities. But otherwise, CFOs can find some ...

By Reuben Daniels • Aug. 2, 2022

GDP Contracts 0.9%, Fed Raises Rates 0.75% As Tightening Cycle Continues

Less than one day after the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) raised the Federal funds rate by 75 basis points, the advance estimate for second-quarter GDP showed the U.S. economy contracted by 0.9%.Although Fed Chair Jerome Powell insisted on Wednesday the U.S. economy was not in a re...

By Vincent Ryan • July 28, 2022

3 M&A Pitfalls CFOs Must Avoid

Deciding to move forward on a company merger is a team effort — and one of the most indispensable members of that team is the CFO.Other members of the executive team might offer out-of-the-box ideas, sales experience, or the ability to weigh long-term strategy. But when it comes to deal-making, t...

By Frank Williamson • July 25, 2022

9.1% CPI Inflation Will Pressure Fed: Weekly Stat

CFOs woke up to not-so-great news on the inflation front Wednesday. The headline consumer price index hit 9.1% in June, another 40-year high. That was 30 basis points above most economists' estimates. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core CPI increased 5.9% compared with the 5...

By Vincent Ryan • July 13, 2022

ESG is Now Table Stakes — Is Your Company Still On the Sidelines?

We often say today’s best practices are tomorrow’s requirements.  Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives are no exception. Today, most large-cap leaders have well-established ESG programs and are evolving their approach and finding new ways to attract sustainability-focused inves...

By Moira Conlon and Leigh Ann Johnston • July 12, 2022

1 Out of 3 Companies Increased Cash Holdings: Weekly Stat

The Association for Financial Professionals’ annual Liquidity Survey takes a thorough look into corporate treasury trends and information on corporate cash holdings, cash management, and short-term investing. Among other questions on cash management, the survey asks whether balance sheet cash inc...

By Vincent Ryan • July 6, 2022