The Changing Shape of Variation Margin Collateral
Variation margin (VM) collateral, long dominated by cash, is facing pressure from higher funding costs, stricter regulations, and market stress, prompting firms to explore non‑cash alternatives. A Risk.net survey of 114 collateral specialists shows 57% of sell‑side and 33% of buy‑side firms have increased non‑cash VM usage, favoring government bonds, investment‑grade corporates and supranationals. Settlement failures and valuation mismatches are the chief operational challenges. Rising interest in tri‑party services, with about a quarter of firms already using them for both initial margin and VM, signals a shift toward more complex collateral structures.
Profit Warnings Citing Global Upheaval Hit ‘Record High’
EY’s latest analysis shows 240 UK‑listed firms issued profit warnings last year, the lowest total since 2021 but the highest proportion citing policy and geopolitical uncertainty. About 42 percent of those warnings named regulatory flip‑flops, tariffs and wage hikes as profit‑dragging...
Why AI Won’t Wipe Out White-Collar Jobs
Since ChatGPT’s debut in late 2022, AI has sparked both excitement and anxiety among white‑collar professionals. While managers see cost‑cutting potential, many desk‑bound workers fear displacement. Analysts argue that AI will primarily expand the scope of these roles, automating routine...
January 22, 2026 – Closed Meeting
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced a closed‑door board meeting held on January 22, 2026, providing only a brief notice and a contact for information requests. The meeting’s agenda was not disclosed, reflecting standard practice for discussing confidential supervisory and resolution matters....
The Dissonance of Davos 2026: Capital Allocation in an Age of Fragmentation and the AI–Energy Nexus
The 56th World Economic Forum in Davos revealed a widening gap between political climate rhetoric and the market‑driven push for an infrastructure‑led energy transition. While the United States delegation framed energy policy as a nationalist, fossil‑friendly agenda, Europe repositioned renewables...
CFO Confidence Slips Amid Washington Uncertainty
The Q1 2026 CFO Leadership Confidence Index shows U.S. finance chiefs reacting sharply to Washington’s policy volatility. Before President Trump’s tariff warning, 130 CFOs rated current business conditions at 5.5, a 9% decline from Q4, but after a NATO deal...
The Birth of Modern Investing
The documentary *Tune Out the Noise* chronicles how University of Chicago scholars in the 1960s forged the efficient‑market hypothesis and modern portfolio theory, turning investing into a data‑driven science. Their work birthed the index fund, first launched by Wells Fargo in...
Repo Clearing: Expanding Access, Boosting Resilience
Repo clearing is gaining traction as market liquidity tightens and regulators push for more transparency. LSEG’s RepoClear head Michel Semaan discussed how mandatory clearing and new haircut rules could enhance resilience while potentially shifting liquidity. Buy‑side firms, including hedge funds...
IRS Releases FAQs on Qualified Overtime Pay Deduction Under H.R. 1
The IRS issued Fact Sheet 2026‑01, a FAQ document clarifying the qualified overtime compensation deduction created by H.R. 1. It specifies that only the portion of overtime pay mandated by the Fair Labor Standards Act—typically the half‑rate above regular pay—qualifies for the...
A CFO’s Greatest Asset? Getting Comfortable With Complexity
Heather Luck, CFO of Five Star Bank, highlights the expanding complexity of the finance function in community banking. She balances board relations, SEC reporting, regulatory compliance, treasury, budgeting, and HR while driving geographic expansion into the San Francisco Bay Area and...
The Ascent of India’s Economy
India’s economy is transitioning from the historically sluggish “Hindu rate of growth” to become the world’s fastest‑growing large economy, edging toward the fourth‑largest global ranking. Recent reforms—such as the Goods and Services Tax, streamlined foreign‑direct investment rules, and labor law...
How Do You Know if Your Price Is Right?
Accountants face a crossroads in 2026 pricing, weighing freezes, modest inflation‑linked increases, reductions, or bold hikes. While fee freezes effectively act as cuts in a high‑inflation environment, modest increases tied to CPI or RPI are generally client‑acceptable. Reducing fees may...
American Decay versus American Dynamism
AkademikerPension, Denmark's university staff pension fund, announced the sale of its American government bond holdings. The decision was framed as a response to perceived excessive U.S. fiscal spending rather than any geopolitical tension over Greenland. Fund managers emphasized that the...
Fashion Industry’s Supply Chains Fight a Tariff Storm
New U.S. tariffs are straining fashion supply chains, exposing weak supplier relationships. A 2025 US Fashion Industry Association survey shows all 25 leading brands cite protectionism as a top challenge, with over half fearing retaliatory tariffs. Unlike other sectors that...
The Evolving Role of the CFO
The CFO’s role has shifted from traditional budgeting and reporting to a strategic partnership that drives growth, risk management, and value creation. Surveys such as Egon Zehnder’s Super CFO reveal that 82% of finance leaders now own ESG, M&A, and corporate...
‘Build For Scale From Day One’
Calero CFO Darian Hong argues that finance must be built for scale from day one, aligning the function with corporate strategy and investing in scalable infrastructure. He stresses delegating operational work to free CFOs for strategic oversight and fostering cross‑functional...
Keith E. Cassidy Named Director of the Division of Examinations
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appointed Keith E. Cassidy as Director of the Division of Examinations, confirming his role after serving as acting director since May 2024. Cassidy previously led the division’s Technology Controls Program and the SEC’s CyberWatch...
China Hits Its GDP Target—In a Weird Way
China reported a 5% year‑on‑year GDP increase for 2025, meeting its official growth target for the third consecutive year. The expansion occurred despite a faster‑than‑expected population decline and a slowdown in domestic investment. A record trade surplus of nearly $1.2 trillion,...
Why America’s Bond Market Just Keeps Winning
The article argues that despite soaring federal debt and politically‑driven monetary policy, the United States bond market continues to attract robust demand. Treasury yields remain low as both domestic and foreign investors view U.S. debt as a safe‑haven asset. The...
IRS Advisory Council Report Defends Workers, Criticizes Budget and Staff Cuts
The IRS Advisory Council released its 2025 annual report defending the agency’s workforce while decrying recent budget rescissions and staff cuts. The report notes that more than half of the $80 billion Inflation Reduction Act funding earmarked for the IRS has...
AICPA Tax Policy and Advocacy Successes: 2025 Highlights
The AICPA Tax Division reported over 40 advocacy victories in 2025, including eight legislative successes—seven AICPA‑backed bills enacted and the defeat of a provision that would have barred state passthrough entity tax regimes. Twelve Treasury and IRS guidance items incorporated...
IRS and SBA Employee Allegedly Ran Pandemic Fraud Ring Right Out in the Open on Instagram
Attallah Williams, a former SBA loan officer and IRS tax‑examining technician, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud the government by submitting fraudulent Covid‑relief applications. Over a three‑year period she allegedly secured more than $3.5 million from four programs—EIDL, PPP, EIDL...
No More Worlds for Accounting Software to Conquer?
The article argues that core accounting software has reached a plateau, with recent cloud‑based tools delivering mainly incremental upgrades rather than breakthrough functionality. While AI promises automation, tangible, consistent benefits for accountants remain scarce, and many AI‑driven features feel like...
January 22, 2026 — Sunshine Act Meeting Notice
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will hold its Board of Directors meeting on January 22, 2026, streamed publicly via webcast. The agenda features an amendment to the FDIC’s Guidelines for Appeals of Material Supervisory Determinations, a final rule on official signs...
Donald Trump’s Crusade Against Usury Reaches Wall Street
President Donald Trump has turned his anti‑usury rhetoric into a Wall Street‑focused campaign, urging the Federal Reserve to cut benchmark rates and targeting private lenders he deems predatory. The White House has begun filing formal complaints against payday‑loan operators and...
Is Passive Investment Inflating a Stockmarket Bubble?
A decade after a provocative Bernstein note, passive investing now dominates U.S. equity funds, holding roughly 60 % of net assets. The surge is driven by low fees, algorithmic trading, and confidence in market efficiency, concentrating ownership among a few index...
It’s Not Just the Fed. Politics Looms over Central Banks Everywhere
Central banks worldwide are confronting heightened political pressure, challenging long‑standing notions of independence. In the United States, President Donald Trump has publicly urged the Federal Reserve to accelerate rate cuts, intensifying a clash with Chair Jerome Powell. The tension escalated...
Heat Pumps That Pay: How Industrial Process Heat Is Becoming a Cost-Saving Asset
Industrial heat, the world’s largest energy end‑use, is now a balance‑sheet issue as manufacturers grapple with volatile fuel prices and rising carbon costs. A new generation of high‑temperature heat pumps can deliver up to ~200 °C, turning waste heat and low‑grade...
Audit Firm Runs Afoul of PCAOB Rules By Taking Same As Last Year Way Too Literally
The PCAOB sanctioned Southfield‑based Zwick CPA, its owner Jack Zwick, and audit manager Jeffrey Hoskow for multiple violations during the 2022 audit of energy company Genie. The firm failed to plan risk assessments, gather sufficient evidence on revenue and internal...
Agencies Issue 2025 Shared National Credit Program Report
The Federal Reserve, FDIC and OCC released the 2025 Shared National Credit (SNC) report, covering syndicated loans originated through June 30, 2025. The portfolio grew 6 percent to $6.9 trillion across 6,857 borrowers, while the share of “non‑pass” loans fell to 8.6 percent of commitments....
The US Economic ‘K’
Global GDP growth in 2025 steadied at roughly 2.5‑3% despite President Trump’s aggressive tariff campaign. The U.S. economy has taken on a K‑shaped profile: technology and AI‑related firms enjoy soaring valuations while job creation stalls and wages lag for lower‑income...