113 Years of the Real Oil Price (WTI)
The article visualizes 113 years of CPI‑adjusted WTI oil prices, highlighting both absolute levels and growth rates. It notes that the 2008 year‑on‑year surge of 640% was the largest, surpassing the 1979‑80 increase that foreshadowed the 1980 recession. However, month‑on‑month spikes in 1973 and 1990 were even more extreme, suggesting that short‑term shocks may be more relevant for recession forecasting. The author proposes using month‑to‑month or quarter‑to‑quarter changes in VAR models to capture shock propagation.
Trade Agreements Extend Europe’s Food Quality Rules Beyond Its Borders
The European Union is embedding its geographical indication (GI) system into major trade agreements, extending protected food‑quality standards to markets in Latin America, Oceania, Japan, Canada, China and India. Recent deals with Australia and the Mercosur bloc will recognize hundreds...
Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 Isn’t for Trade Deficits, by Christine Abely
On February 20, the Trump administration announced temporary import tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision intended to address fundamental balance‑of‑payments crises. The article explains that Section 122 creates a mandatory presidential duty to impose a surcharge...
![The Downlink [Mar 29, 25] Space Money: Buckle-Up For “Incredibly Dramatic” Changes In The Market](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/render/image/public/images/thumbnails/7e1d2479fd6fc0f08da013f77c8db2e7.webp?width=1200&resize=contain&quality=75)
The Downlink [Mar 29, 25] Space Money: Buckle-Up For “Incredibly Dramatic” Changes In The Market
At SatShow 2026, industry leaders highlighted a wave of "incredibly dramatic" shifts reshaping space finance and investment. In a Downlink interview, Frank Backes—President of Space‑ISAC, former Capella Space CEO, and newly appointed President of IonQ Quantum Infrastructure—outlined the forces driving...
Phenom Expands UKG Technology Partnership
Phenom announced an expanded technology partnership with UKG, adding certified Job Sync and Hosted Apply integrations for UKG Pro Recruiting. The Job Sync feature automatically pulls job data from UKG and publishes it on career sites and job boards, eliminating manual file handling. Hosted Apply streams...
CEO Interview with Charlie Peppiatt of Gooch & Housego
Gooch & Housego (G&H) is a global photonics engineering firm that designs and manufactures high‑performance optical components, subsystems, and systems across the full value chain. Charlie Peppiatt, who joined as CEO in September 2022 after leading TT Electronics and Stadium Group,...
S7E4 – The Death of Inbound Leads
The Harris Consulting Group’s podcast episode S7E4, “The Death of Inbound Leads,” examines the rapid decline of inbound lead generation and the resulting upheaval in outbound sales strategies. It highlights the frenetic 2026 sales hiring market, growing tool bloat, and...
Anti-Fraud Teams Struggling on AI, Tech
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners’ 2026 Anti‑Fraud Technology Benchmarking Report surveyed over 700 anti‑fraud executives and found that 92% of teams still do not use AI, with only 8% feeling prepared for AI‑enhanced fraud attacks. Respondents cite data‑quality, governance,...
Cris Collinsworth Retains PFF Media Arm in $100M+ Teamworks Acquisition
Teamworks has completed the acquisition of Pro Football Focus’s business‑to‑business data platform in a deal valued at more than $100 million. The B2B analytics unit will operate under Teamworks’ brand while the consumer‑facing media arm stays with former owner Cris Collinsworth. Collinsworth...
Transcript: Judd Kessler, Lucky by Design
Judd Kessler, a Wharton professor and author of *Lucky by Design*, explains how market design governs the allocation of scarce resources—from organ transplants and school seats to concert tickets and restaurant reservations. He illustrates that many everyday “luck” moments are...
Transform 2026 Concludes with 4,000+ Leaders Defining the Human + AI Equation
Transform 2026 wrapped up at Wynn Las Vegas, drawing more than 4,000 leaders from over 35 countries and featuring 350+ speakers. The conference centered on "The Human + AI Equation," exploring how executives can blend rapid AI adoption with people‑first leadership. Highlights...
SoundCloud Launches ‘Follower Exclusive Releases’ to Reward Superfans & Build Hype
SoundCloud has rolled out Follower Exclusive Releases, a feature for Artist Pro creators that lets them share tracks solely with their followers, either as a permanent perk or a timed early‑access window. The launch is anchored by Dutch DJ Chris...
(Comic) Promotions and Stretch Assignments
A recent comic illustrates a manager praising an employee’s performance but offering a stretch assignment instead of a promotion. The employee realizes the new duties come without a pay raise, while the manager uses the extra work to bolster their...
Why Leaders Need to Embrace Five Intelligences
Des Dearlove highlights the 5Qs Framework, a leadership model that blends five distinct intelligences—cognitive, emotional, political, resilience, and moral—to address today’s volatile business environment. Developed by Dr. Ali Qassim Jawad and the late Professor Andrew Kakabadse, the framework draws on...
Fourth Circuit Overturns Class Certification of 401(k) Plan Investment Loss Case
The Fourth Circuit reversed a district court ruling that had certified a class action against Genworth Financial over alleged underperformance of BlackRock target‑date funds in 401(k) plans. The appellate court held that Rule 23(b)(1) cannot be used for defined‑contribution plans because...
The Marketers Getting Hired Right Now All Have One Thing In Common
The author, actively hiring marketers, observes that candidates who possess a distinct, well‑articulated point of view consistently outshine those with merely impressive resumes or portfolios. Interviewees who can explain the why behind their decisions—challenging norms and offering fresh insights—are perceived...
The Performance of Small Business Investment Companies
The Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program, created in 1958, lets private funds invest in U.S. small firms with SBA‑backed leverage. A 2026 Financial Analyst Journal study finds SBIC funds from 2000‑2020 generated an average net IRR of 15.9% and...
Wisq Ranked #2 on Fast Company’s HR Innovators List 2026
Wisq’s Agentic HR Platform earned the No. 2 spot on Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2026, highlighted for its AI HR Generalist, Harper. Harper combines a purpose‑built HR Language Model with autonomous reasoning to handle complex, compliance‑heavy tasks...
To Counter Rising Gas Prices, Employers Revisit Subsidies and Work-From-Home Arrangements
Rising gas prices linked to the US‑Israeli conflict have pushed average U.S. employee commuting costs up 9% since February, reaching $16.93 per day and potentially nearing $19. A Gartner analysis shows financial stress growing, with 26% of workers already seeking...
Creality IPO Filing Reveals Financial Growth, Manufacturing Scale, and Other Secrets
Creality, the China‑based 3D printer maker, filed a 492‑page draft IPO application with Hong Kong’s exchange, revealing rapid revenue growth and expansive manufacturing capacity. Revenue rose from $272 million in 2023 to an estimated $453 million in 2025, while profit margins slipped...
🎙️ This Week on How I AI: How Stripe Built “Minions”—AI Coding Agents that Ship 1,300 PRs per Week +...
Stripe engineer Steve Kaliski revealed how the company’s AI “minions”—autonomous coding agents—produce roughly 1,300 pull requests each week, often triggered by a simple Slack emoji. The system relies on robust developer experience, cloud‑based development environments, and automated confidence signals to...
Greenhouse Ranked Best ATS in the G2 Spring 2026 Reports
Greenhouse was named the top applicant tracking system in G2’s Spring 2026 Reports, securing #1 positions in the overall Grid Report, Enterprise, EMEA Regional, and Mid‑Market categories. The hiring platform supports more than 7,500 companies, including HubSpot, the NFL and Duolingo,...
My Boss Asked Me to Mentor My Coworker, but It’s Really My Boss Who Needs Mentoring
A new manager, Fergus, struggles with project management, communication, and HR tasks, leading him to delegate mentorship of a peer, Chip, to an experienced employee. The employee discovers that many of Chip’s issues stem from unclear department procedures rather than...
Oil Rises, Asian Markets Sink as Middle East War Broadens
Oil prices surged on Monday as Brent crude briefly topped $117 a barrel and U.S. crude hovered around $102, driven by escalating conflict in the Middle East. Iran’s attacks on aluminium smelters in Bahrain and the UAE pushed metal prices...
Daily Memo: Mediation Efforts, Oil Supplies for Cuba
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad to explore diplomatic pathways for ending the Iran‑Saudi conflict. The quartet discussed forming a multilateral consortium to oversee commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, proposing a fee...
WTW Splits EMEA Consulting and Tech Business to Boost AI Strategy
WTW reorganized its EMEA insurance consulting and technology business into two dedicated units—EMEA Property & Casualty (P&C) and EMEA Life—to meet rising client demand and the accelerating adoption of artificial intelligence. Tim Rourke, with eight years at the firm, will...
Inflation Pushes 63% of Seniors Back to Work: Study
Indeed Flex’s February 2026 survey of 1,000 retirees shows 30% are already working or open to flexible jobs, while 63% cite rising living costs as the main reason to return. Most prefer part‑time schedules under 20 hours weekly, with retail and consulting...
Bausch + Lomb Will Release First-Quarter 2026 Financial Results on April 29
Bausch + Lomb Corp. announced that it will publish its first‑quarter 2026 financial results on April 29, with a live investor conference call at 8 a.m. ET. The webcast and dial‑in details are provided, and a replay will be accessible through...
$JOJO: CE-Credit Webinar on Credit Regimes and Allocation Discipline
The CE‑Credit approved webinar on March 31, 2026, will dissect credit market regimes and their impact on allocation discipline. Hosted by Michael A. Gayed, CFA, the session outlines how spread phases create distinct risk environments and why static exposure can...
How to Sequence Your Search Raise Investor Conversations
The article argues that the order of investor conversations is crucial when raising a search fund. Early meetings should be with people who already know the entrepreneur, allowing the founder to practice the pitch and secure soft commitments that act...
The Hartford Strengthens International Business with Leadership Updates
The Hartford announced a series of senior appointments to reinforce its international underwriting platform. Julian Samuel was named Head of First Party Lines, overseeing Marine, Energy and Political Violence & Terrorism (PVT) while expanding into Industrial Risks and Construction Physical...
Meiji Seika Pharma Invests in Centivax to Develop Next Generation Universal Vaccine Platform
Meiji Seika Pharma announced a strategic investment in U.S. biotech Centivax to accelerate its universal influenza vaccine, Centi‑Flu 01, currently in Phase 1 trials. The partnership leverages Meiji’s pharmaceutical expertise and Centivax’s computational immune‑engineering platform to target conserved viral regions, aiming for...
AI Publisher Response Live: Automation Vs. AI
AI Publisher Response Live, a bi‑weekly virtual forum hosted by Rob Beeler, is gearing up for its May 6 AI Publisher Response conference. The series invites publishers, partners, and stakeholders to dissect current AI trends, especially the tension between automation and...
How to Simulate Important Meetings Before They Happen in 1 Click with Claude Code
The post introduces a DIY meeting‑simulation tool built with Claude Code that lets product teams rehearse critical discussions in a single click. Users input agenda, attendees, and relevant artifacts, and the system generates a mock meeting that surfaces hidden objections...
4G Capital Raises $2m From GIF Growth
4G Capital, an East African fintech serving micro and small enterprises, secured a $2 million growth‑stage investment from GIF Growth, the Global Innovation Fund’s dedicated vehicle. The company has already disbursed over $800 million in loans to more than 755,000 clients across...
Mexico Economic Comments - March 2026
Mexico’s new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, faces sharp criticism from The Economist for failing to deliver the structural reforms she pledged, opting instead for incremental tweaks. The publication highlights that despite external pressures such as the lingering US‑Mexico trade war, USMCA...
AI Is Making Leadership Almost Too Easy: The Exact Playbook Top Managers Use to 10X Performance, Coaching, and Results
The author argues that generative AI has turned senior management into a high‑efficiency function, enabling faster preparation for 1‑on‑1s, data‑driven coaching, and agenda creation. By feeding Power BI exports into AI prompts, hidden risks and blind spots surface in seconds, allowing...
Daniel Yergin Warns of Economic Meltdown if Iran Conflict Persists
Pulitzer‑winning energy analyst Daniel Yergin warned that Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger an economic meltdown if it persists. He noted that 80% of oil and 90% of natural gas flowing through the strait head to Asia,...
Amethis Buys Majority Stake in Côte D’Ivoire’s Ademat
Amethis has acquired a majority stake in Côte d’Ivoire‑based power security provider Ademat, buying out SPE Capital’s controlling position. Founded in 1983, Ademat now offers the full value chain from generation to maintenance, including gas‑powered generators and solar panels. Under...
Subscriber Alert. UPDATED: Investment Facilitation Blocked Again in Yaoundé
At the WTO Ministerial in Yaoundé, Cameroon, India single‑handedly blocked the inclusion of the 129‑member Investment Facilitation Agreement (IFA) into Annex 4 of the WTO Agreement, marking the twelfth failed attempt to formalise the plurilateral deal. While Turkey withdrew its objections...
A Simple Way to Advocate for Yourself and Your Team: The STAR 🔶 Technique
The article introduces the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique as a practical framework for managers to advocate for their teams and themselves. It highlights a real promotion case where vague praise failed to secure a deserved promotion, underscoring the...
From Engagement to Strategy: The CEO AI Leadership Blind Spot
Generative AI adoption is soaring, with 76% of CEOs reporting regular use, yet most treat it as a smarter search tool rather than a strategic engine. The Vistage study shows a 10% rise in usage over nine months, but CEOs...
Purpose, Perspective, Potential of Global Leadership
The article defines purpose, perspective, and potential as the three pillars of effective global leadership. Purpose serves as a north‑star, aligning diverse teams and legitimizing trade‑offs beyond short‑term metrics. Perspective is the leader’s mental model, built on local expertise, scenario...
Inclusion
A new framework for empathetic, inclusive leadership outlines practical steps for individuals, teams, and entire organizations. It combines psychological‑safety principles, structured listening, and equity‑of‑access practices to create high‑performing, psychologically safe environments. The guide provides concrete tools—check‑ins, inclusive meeting design, empathy...
Transforming Cloud FinOps with Autonomous and Agentic Intelligence
Generative AI and Agentic AI are reshaping cloud financial operations by moving FinOps from reactive monitoring to autonomous, predictive management. AI‑enabled platforms now continuously analyze usage, auto‑tag resources, adjust sizing, and generate cost reports with minimal human input. Predictive budgeting...
Knowledge & Growth
The article positions knowledge fluency as a strategic capability rather than a mere technology stack, emphasizing its role in accelerating talent growth and decision quality. It outlines four core dimensions—discoverability, comprehension, application, and transfer—and proposes concrete metrics such as time‑to‑competence...
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau Retires (To Take French Classes?)
Air Canada announced that CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026, concluding a twenty‑year tenure that saw the carrier navigate the 2007‑2008 financial crisis, the COVID‑19 pandemic, and the Aeroplan acquisition. The board...
Risk Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is reshaping risk management by delivering predictive analytics, real‑time monitoring, and automated mitigation. AI algorithms now parse historical and live data to flag emerging threats, while automated response systems reduce reaction times and human error. The technology also...
Danger-Time at Nexstar/TEGNA, Paramount-Skydance-WBD, and Live Nation
The Nexstar‑Tegna merger, Live Nation’s DOJ settlement, and the Paramount‑Skydance‑Warner Bros. Discovery deal are all legally active but face ongoing state and congressional challenges. Executives are forced to integrate assets and allocate capital while the ultimate regulatory outcome remains uncertain....
The $860,000 Is Real Money
A Navigant Construction Forum study found average construction projects spend $860,000 on RFIs, covering review time, response cycles, and admin overhead. Updated 2024 estimates put the direct cost of a single RFI at $2,000‑$3,000, up from $1,080 in 2013. Projects...