Strategy & Operations

SEC enforcement actions sink 57% below 8-year average: Brattle Group

Staff reductions at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the record-long government shutdown slowed enforcement last year, the Brattle Group said.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 21, 2026

M&A soaring close to record level, fueled by rush into AI: Apollo’s Sløk

The fixation on AI has spurred dealmaking well beyond technology into companies involved in sectors essential for the AI build-out.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 20, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

FP&A's evolution into CFOs' essential strategic asset

When FP&A works best, you get things like Amazon Prime. The trick is eliminating the friction in your planning function.  

By CFO Dive staff

Big Four firms call on SEC to soften PCAOB quality control standards

The PCAOB revisions may receive a warm response from the SEC, which under Chair Paul Atkins has pursued several efforts to ease compliance burdens.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 19, 2026

Payouts, talent and trust: What CFOs need to get right

See what 450 independent earners expect from payouts—and what those expectations mean for CFOs.

Oct. 19, 2026

Warsh says rise of AI will prove ‘very bumpy,’ trigger demand shock

“Earnings disappointments by AI developers could undermine expectations of future profitability, dealing a hit to equity prices,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 16, 2026

Producer prices surge at fastest pace since 2022, adding pressure on Fed

Soaring energy costs accounted for much of the leap in producer prices, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 15, 2026

CEOs eye C-suite shake-ups as pressures mount: BCG

Finance chiefs topped the list of senior leaders at risk of being replaced over coming months, the study found.

By Alexei Alexis • Oct. 14, 2026

Inflation speeds up to 3.7%, fueled by surging gasoline prices

Consumers expect inflation during the coming decade to average around 2.7%, the highest level since 2007, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 14, 2026

Small business optimism falls, hit by inflation, low labor quality: NFIB

“Fuel prices are killing us on our delivery trucks,” a retailer in Georgia told the National Federation of Independent Business.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 13, 2026

Borrowing costs still too low to cool inflation, economists say in survey

Business spending will likely grow at a 12.6% annual rate this year before slowing to 6.2% in 2027, according to economists surveyed by Wolters Kluwer.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 12, 2026

Tariffs pushed up consumer goods prices by 2.9 percentage points: NY Fed

Consumer expectations for inflation rose for the second straight month to the highest level since May, the University of Michigan said Friday, citing an October survey.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 9, 2026

Deloitte fined $7.9M by UK regulator for failed audits

Deloitte UK’s “decisions and actions put very large amounts of U.K. taxpayers’ money at risk,” according to the top investigator at the Financial Reporting Council.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 8, 2026

All Fed officials backed vote to hike benchmark rate: FOMC minutes

Inflation expectations among consumers rose last month for both the one-year and three-year time horizons, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Wednesday.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 7, 2026

Tech hiring dips despite spike in job postings

Demand for technology roles reached a three-year high, as employers added more than a quarter million postings last month, CompTIA found.

By Roberto Torres • Oct. 6, 2026

US services sector slows, hobbled by tariffs, higher fuel costs

Growth in the services sector has helped sustain economic growth despite tariffs, the war with Iran and rising borrowing costs.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 5, 2026

Chicken Salad Chick CFO’s path from burger grill to C-suite

GrubHub alum Drew Travis recently joined the Atlanta-based restaurant chain, which is expanding into West Virginia, New York and Michigan this year.

By Maura Webber Sadovi • Oct. 2, 2026

Jobless rate rises to 4.2%, reducing odds of Fed easing this month

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said a decision on whether to increase the benchmark interest rate “may take more time.”

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 2, 2026

Chief AI officers arrive in C-suites

Major corporations including Boeing, Eli Lilly and McDonald’s have added the roles since 2020, the report from Crist Kolder finds.

By Danielle McLean • Oct. 2, 2026

SEC charges private fund adviser with alleged fraud before SpaceX IPO

The Manhattan-based fund adviser rode investor enthusiasm for pending initial public offerings by companies including OpenAI, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged.

By Jim Tyson • Oct. 1, 2026

Conagra CFO cites logistics, transportation accelerating inflation

The Slim Jim-maker’s finance chief David Marberger said oil prices and a driver shortage helped drive inflation higher in the fiscal first quarter. 

By Maura Webber Sadovi • Sept. 30, 2026

Consumer confidence sags to 12-year low, eroded by inflation, job anxiety

Inflation will probably not slow to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target until 2028, New York Fed President John Williams predicted.

By Jim Tyson • Sept. 29, 2026

Should workers be paid for AI skills?

Companies could face a “retention time bomb” if existing workers see new hires get paid more for tech expertise, Payscale found.

By Ginger Christ • Sept. 29, 2026

Esker CFO folds AI into employee cost analysis

The company blew past its AI budget this year as usage accelerated and model providers changed their pricing for the technology, CFO Scott McDermott said.

By Alexei Alexis • Sept. 29, 2026

AI creates jobs rather than kills them: White House economist Hassett

Most U.S. adults fear that adoption of artificial intelligence will lead to job loss, according to several recent polls.

By Jim Tyson • Sept. 28, 2026

Beyond efficiency: How finance leaders are multiplying AI’s real ROI

AI's ROI goes beyond time saved. Here's how CFOs are tracking and reinvesting their gains.

Sept. 28, 2026