Many Fed officials flagged inflation threat, possible need to hike rates

“Recent labor demand and consumer spending data suggest that the economy is healthy enough for a rate hike,” Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, said.

By Jim Tyson • Aug. 19, 2026

US manufacturing grows at steady pace, led by business equipment: Fed

Industrial production in July, while falling short of forecasts, aligned with expectations of slower but sustained economic growth.

By Jim Tyson • Aug. 18, 2026

Executives put the spotlight on AI’s reliability issue

Only 35% of leaders say AI consistently delivers business outcomes, earns regulator confidence and allows control, according to a report from HFS Research and TCS.

By Makenzie Holland • Aug. 18, 2026

Most consumers save no money as inflation erodes buying power: EY

The share of credit card balances delinquent for more than 90 days rose to 12.8% in the first quarter of this year from 7.6% in the third quarter of 2022, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported.

By Jim Tyson • Aug. 17, 2026

Retail sales fall 0.6% as consumers see inflation eroding buying power

Only 8% of consumers believe their incomes will grow faster than inflation in the current year, a 10 percentage point decline from December 2024, according to a University of Michigan survey.

By Jim Tyson • Aug. 14, 2026

Inflation dips, affirming Fed decision to keep interest rates steady

By the end of 2026 inflation will probably cool to 2.7% due to declining costs for transportation and healthcare, LPL Financial Chief Economist Jeffrey Roach said.

By Jim Tyson • Aug. 12, 2026

Small business optimism rebounds to highest level since Aug. 2025: NFIB

Small businesses last month scaled back both actual and planned price increases for the first time this year, the National Federation of Independent Business said.

By Jim Tyson • Aug. 11, 2026

Former acting IRS head warns of tax compliance ‘race to the bottom’

The tax agency has faced steep budget cuts since Douglas O’Donnell stepped down from serving as acting commissioner in early 2025.

By Maura Webber Sadovi • Aug. 7, 2026

Finance, treasury leaders keep eye on payment visibility, TCH exec says

For finance and treasury leaders, how to gain deeper visibility into their payment rails and processes is top of mind, TCH’S Rich Dooley said.

By Grace Noto • July 30, 2026

Fed holds benchmark rate steady in vote with three dissents

The central bank held the main interest rate steady in a 9-3 vote after a two-day meeting.

By Grace Noto • Updated July 29, 2026

US coworking expands as monthly desk price ticks down

The median U.S. monthly cost of an open workspace and dedicated desk ticked down to $219 in the second quarter, according to a Yardi report.

By Maura Webber Sadovi • July 28, 2026

US business activity, confidence surge to 8-month high: S&P Global

While U.S. exports fell this month, July 4 celebrations and the World Cup competition spurred domestic demand, S&P Global said.

By Jim Tyson • July 24, 2026

What CFOs should know about family offices

While not a homogenous group, family offices are a growing source of capital that can be more “patient” than private equity, EY’s Catherine Fankhauser says.

By Maura Webber Sadovi • July 24, 2026

Persistent inflation dogs small business confidence: US Chamber

The Federal Reserve will probably raise interest rates in coming months in an effort to curb inflation to its 2% target, according to traders in interest rate futures.

By Jim Tyson • July 20, 2026

Tax numbers aid analysts more than narratives, study finds

CFOs must balance the need to meet disclosure compliance requirements with the risk of drawing extra scrutiny from competitors and the IRS.

By Maura Webber Sadovi • July 20, 2026

Retail sales edge up, restrained by falling gasoline prices

“Over the past few months, value shopping has gained traction as household budgets have come under pressure,” the Bank of America Institute said.

By Jim Tyson • July 16, 2026

Warsh says US in ‘fight’ with China for dominance in AI

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh told a Senate panel that the U.S. “is extremely well positioned to be at the cutting edge and extract more productivity” from artificial intelligence.

By Jim Tyson • July 15, 2026

Inflation slows to 3.5% as Warsh pledges to achieve Fed’s 2% target

“There’s plenty of work to do” to reduce inflation to an acceptable level, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee.

By Jim Tyson • July 14, 2026

Fintech Bottomline offers stablecoin-friendly CFO suite

The company is betting stablecoins will gain traction across corporate payment, treasury and liquidity workflows.

By Alexei Alexis • July 14, 2026

Fed may need to raise benchmark rate as inflation heats up, Waller says

“Sternly staring at inflation until it melts before our withering gaze is not an option,” Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said.

By Jim Tyson • July 13, 2026

7 CFO risks from the high-stakes adoption of AI

“There’s a risk of losing people who don’t want to innovate or who are scared of how this plays out,” Nintex CFO Burt Chao said.

By Jim Tyson • July 10, 2026

Peril and promise: The high-stakes CFO challenge of AI adoption

CFOs are in danger of falling prey to bated-breath predictions of how AI will transform humankind more profoundly than prior bold leaps in technology.

By Jim Tyson • July 9, 2026

Tariff refunds: 3 ways to manage corporate risk

How companies approach tariff refunds at the outset could have complex and potentially irreversible downstream implications, EY’s Lynlee Brown writes.

By Lynlee Brown • July 8, 2026

‘Vacationmaxxing’ may not be for everyone

In the U.S., less than 40% of workers say they use all of their allotted vacation days.

By Ginger Christ • July 6, 2026

World Cup chargebacks coming

Companies that track fraud related to major events expect the chargebacks for fraudulent World Cup related purchases will arrive soon.

By Lynne Marek • July 2, 2026