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On Thursday, the Black Business Ventures Association hosted an Innovation Expo at Edmonton Unlimited, offering early‑stage Black entrepreneurs a Dragons’ Den‑style platform to pitch their ventures. Six startups—including a gamified ad platform, legal‑tech, peer‑to‑peer exchange, hyperlocal networking, digital business cards, and an edtech solution—presented to a supportive audience. Attendees, such as LiberatedAI co‑founder Ruth Orekogbe, highlighted the event’s role in showcasing the expanding Black tech community in Edmonton while noting limited female founder participation. The focus was on securing mentorship, partnerships and visibility rather than immediate capital.
The latest Friday Footnotes roundup highlights three intertwined trends reshaping accounting and finance. Big‑tech firms’ $3 trillion cap‑ex plans are prompting aggressive depreciation adjustments, as Meta’s $2.6 billion earnings boost shows the earnings‑management risk. Meanwhile, Italian tax authorities have raided Amazon managers’...
Zscaler announced the acquisition of Singapore‑based startup SquareX, adding its Chromium‑based browser extension to the Zero Trust Exchange platform. SquareX’s browser detection and response (BDR) technology provides real‑time threat detection inside browsers on managed and personal devices. The deal, closed...
Jay R. Young, CEO of King Operating Corporation, is championing a shift from single‑well oil‑gas investments to unitized drilling structures that spread risk across larger acreage. He pairs this structural innovation with an education‑first approach, highlighted in his book *The...
Social Security delivered a 2.8% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for 2026, boosting benefits by roughly $56 per month. Early government inflation data suggest the 2027 COLA could be markedly lower, with estimates ranging from 1.2% to 3.1%. Analysts warn that a...
Toronto‑based health‑tech startup Mesosil has secured FDA 510(k) clearance for its antimicrobial dental additive, allowing U.S. dental manufacturers to embed the technology in products such as composites and cements. The clearance follows a four‑year development program and validates the company’s...
A federal district court in Pennsylvania ruled that a White internal audit head’s resistance to a Black compliance executive’s supervision was based on management style, not race or gender. The court found Drexel University had not adequately communicated expectations, but...
Railway Supply Institute (RSI) abruptly dismissed President Jim Riley after just under a year in the role, citing the need for a leadership change amid a volatile economic and geopolitical environment. Board Chair Greg Dalpe announced the decision and praised...
Badger Meter’s board approved a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.40 per share, payable on March 13, 2026. It also increased its share‑repurchase authorization by $75 million, bringing the total program to $150 million through November 30, 2028. In the first quarter of...
House Democrats held a hearing on the Trump administration’s Schedule P/C, a rebranded version of Schedule F that removes civil‑service protections for thousands of policy‑related federal workers. Former officials and experts warned that politicizing the workforce erodes merit‑based hiring and could deter...
Neil Huber founded Pulse Radiology Education in 2015 to give working radiologic technologists a flexible path to advanced certification. The company now operates two arms—Pulse Radiology Education and Pulse Radiology Institute—offering ARRT‑approved coursework, clinical placement, and an MRI associate degree....
University of Minnesota Physicians has appointed Dr. Greg Beilman, a critical‑care surgeon and retired Army Reserve colonel, as its permanent chief executive officer. Beilman, who served as interim CEO since July, will oversee the 4,500‑strong clinical enterprise and guide it...
Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 researchers linked the sprawling TGR‑STA‑1030 cyberespionage campaign to an Asian state‑aligned group, but chose not to publicly attribute it to China. Sources say the decision was driven by fears of retaliation, as Palo Alto's security software...
Closing out the week with @GregDaco and @ElizRosner talking about inflation: "On the latest episode of The Inflation Brief from ECON-versations with NABE, hosts Greg Daco and Laura Rosner-Warburton are joined by special guest Claudia Sahm to break down the...
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University of South Florida researchers examined eight years of training and hiring data from 174 large U.S. law firms, revealing that resource‑rich, older firms tend to build talent internally while younger, smaller firms favor external hiring. The study highlights the...
Ford just disclosed an additional $900M tariff hit in its Q4 results. TARIFFS = BAD NEWS FOR AMERICAN CORPORATIONS. https://t.co/kau61WOizz
And net reserves are still negative -- Argentina survived 2025 thanks to a $14b loan from the IMF and a willingness on the part of the IMF and the US to ignored missed reserve targets. Indeed, Argentina got another $20b backstop...
Google’s Gemini large‑language model is being weaponized by multiple state‑sponsored threat actors, according to the Google Threat Intelligence Group. North Korean UNC2970 and several Chinese groups such as Mustang Panda, Judgment Panda, APT41 and UNC795 are using Gemini for rapid...
How ironic would it be if there were a market crisis event in the next few months while Powell is still at the helm of the Fed, requiring extreme Fed and White House/Treasury cooperation while those relations are as strained...
Ocean Alliance and Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced a major overhaul of their trans‑Atlantic service network, removing several vessels and consolidating U.S. port calls. The redesign follows a year of uneven trade, with U.S. exports to Europe rising sharply while...
President Trump’s Treasury Department has launched an aggressive AML campaign targeting Minnesota and U.S.–Mexico border regions, using new Geographic Targeting Orders and high‑performance data analytics to flag cartel, fraud and immigration‑related transactions. FinCEN now requires banks and money‑service businesses to...
JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI) uses a covered‑call strategy to target 7‑9% annual distributions, positioning it as a low‑volatility, income‑focused vehicle. The fund has consistently met its payout goals since inception, appealing to risk‑averse investors seeking steady cash flow....
Nektar Therapeutics announced robust Phase II results for its IL‑2R modulator rezpegaldesleukin in atopic dermatitis, propelling its stock 51% higher. Leveraging the momentum, the company closed an upsized $400 million PIPE financing consisting of common stock and pre‑funded warrants. Evommune also secured...
U.S. corn prices remain buoyed by robust export demand that persisted into early 2025, according to Compeer Financial economist Megan Roberts. While prices are still below target levels, the export momentum offsets downward pressure. Roberts noted that a nationwide E15...
S&P Global Ratings lowered Central Alabama Water’s revenue‑bond rating to AA‑minus from AA and placed the issue on CreditWatch Negative. The downgrade reflects weakening liquidity, high debt levels and aging infrastructure, compounded by delayed budget adoption after a state‑mandated governance...
The Fixed‑Asset Securitization Tracker (FAST) released its February 2026 Definitions report, detailing the data fields used in automotive securitization tapes. The document supplies precise definitions, code tables, and cross‑references to related transaction disclosures. By standardizing terminology, the report aims to simplify...
We now have the longest and strongest breadth rotation in recent years. Notably, it’s the only rotation that has been propelled by broader macro and micro fundamentals rather than lower rates. We first recommended a broadening trade of value and...
Magna International and Atmus Filtration posted strong earnings, propelling their stocks higher as tariff pressures ease. Magna beat EPS estimates ($2.18 vs $1.80) and lifted its adjusted EBIT margin to 7.5%, while forecasting 2026 sales up to $43.5 billion and announcing...
🛢️ OIL CONTEXT WEEKLY 🛢️ 📈📉Crude prices rise on Hormuz advisory before falling back on the prospect of longer US-Iran talks, with headlines dotted with a flurry of US sanctions relief on Venezuela’s oil sector. Summary below, link to full report in...
India’s 13th Milan naval exercise, Milan‑26, will run Feb 18‑25 in Visakhapatnam, coinciding with the International Fleet Review and the IONS summit, forming the “Vizag trifecta.” The biennial drill has grown from four regional navies in 1995 to 70 confirmed participants...
BTG Pactual announced the acquisition of up to a 48% stake in Brazilian digital‑credit platform meutudo, valuing the fintech at roughly $200 million. meutudo specializes in FGTS‑backed and payroll‑deducted loans, leveraging workers' severance funds to lower interest rates. The app also...
According to a new report by the Tax Foundation, Trump’s latest tariffs amount to a $1,300 hidden tax per household. US TARIFFS = A SALES TAX ON AMERICANS. https://t.co/w3pnoqPIdP
Arunima Sinha explains that a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the president's authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) could sharply reduce tariffs on many consumer goods, lowering the effective tariff rate from about 15% to the...
China's reported current account surplus for q4 was $242b (close to $1 trillion annualized), and the 2025 surplus was $735b -- well over 3.5% of China's GDP. This has big implications for the IMF, for Secretary Bessent and and the world...
BOE’s Pill says interest rates are ‘a little too low’ and should be held https://t.co/wMBsLKECUz via @irinaanghel12 https://t.co/axOKBgzYCV
U.S. Treasury yields fell after the January CPI came in cooler than expected, pulling municipal bond yields lower as well. Despite the softer inflation print, analysts say the Federal Reserve will likely keep rates on hold and consider only a...
Germany weighs debt brake exemption to boost raw materials fund https://t.co/lsvcwd09Y5 via @mcnienaber @ocrook https://t.co/wmKMMM7Dgu
Telecom operators are confronting nation‑state campaigns such as Salt Typhoon and Volt Typhoon that exploit signaling and subscriber identity systems, rendering traditional perimeter defenses inadequate. In a briefing hosted by the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, experts advocated privacy‑first mobile‑carrier...
Ramp and Rippling don't have as much overlap as people think. So says @rabois 👀 @eglyman @parkerconrad https://t.co/6Xh1bcpnjw
A Colorado district court dismissed antitrust claims in Morgan v. Kroger, holding that the employers' informal coordination during parallel collective‑bargaining fell within the nonstatutory labor exemption. The ruling distinguished the case from the Ninth Circuit’s Safeway decision by noting simultaneous...
Here's @rabois saying he thinks the Trump administration may ultimately reverse course on letting China get access to Nvidia's best chips https://t.co/XImO09oRyf
The U.S. Supreme Court announced three decision days—Feb. 20, 24, and 25—when it will issue opinions, though it has not disclosed which cases will be decided. Lawmakers in the House have voted against new tariffs and the Senate is expected...
The episode dissects the current QQQ options market, highlighting that skew and risk reversals are at historic highs, indicating expensive downside protection and a defensive bias among investors. Despite heavy put activity, call participation remains steady and speculative far‑out‑of‑the‑money buying...
Employers facing concerns about a new hire’s off‑duty political posts must proceed cautiously. California law and the National Labor Relations Act protect lawful political expression outside work, limiting an employer’s ability to discipline based solely on beliefs. However, conduct that...
FedEx will shut more than 475 stations, roughly 30% of its U.S. and Canada footprint, as part of its Network 2.0 consolidation. The initiative merges Ground and Express operations, shifting focus to large metros such as San Francisco. Already, over 200 sites...
Meta announced a $10 billion, near‑gigawatt data‑center campus in Lebanon, Indiana, marking one of the largest U.S. AI infrastructure projects. At the same time, European AI‑infrastructure specialist Nebius unveiled a 240 MW campus in Béthune, France, repurposing a former industrial site. Both...
President Trump released the White House Maritime Action Plan (MAP), the most ambitious U.S. shipbuilding strategy since the 1936 Merchant Marine Act. The 35‑page document proposes a fee on foreign‑built vessels, a dedicated Maritime Security Trust Fund, Maritime Prosperity Zones,...
There's a general and logical correlation between money supply and capital markets. But what about money supply relative to GDP? Here's $SPX overlaid with the ratio of US M2 / real GDP: https://t.co/UA5X14bWEk
$2M to $9M ARR in one year. Sounds amazing but... Support went from 200 to 20K tickets/month Servers crashed for a full day Gross margin went from 90% to 20% They threw money at AWS because there was no other option. https://t.co/eT4oChv5G3
