Economic Damage From Iran War ‘Increasingly Evident,’ S&P Global Says
S&P Global’s latest composite PMI shows a second consecutive month of weak growth for U.S. manufacturers, while service‑sector optimism slipped to its lowest since April 2025. The survey links the slowdown to rising inflation and supply‑chain strains tied to the war with Iran. Energy prices surged, with gasoline up 28.4% and fuel‑oil 54.3%, pushing the CPI to a three‑year high of 3.8%. Fed officials now see a higher probability of a rate hike to curb inflation, raising concerns about Q2 growth.
Walmart Ties Expected Tariff Refunds to Price Strategy Amid Cost Pressures
Walmart disclosed it could qualify for roughly $2.4 billion in tariff refunds, a sum equal to less than 0.5% of its U.S. sales. CFO John David Rainey said any refunds would be funneled into lower prices to offset pressure from high...
New Harness CFO Targets ‘Effective Growth’
Harness, an AI software delivery platform, appointed Bill Koefoed as its new CFO to shape a financial profile geared toward a future public offering. Koefoed, a former finance chief at OneStream, Microsoft, and Puppet, is emphasizing “effective growth,” balancing aggressive AI...
Inspired Pulls New CFO From Ranks
Inspired Entertainment announced the promotion of its vice‑president of finance, Craig Wilson, to chief financial officer effective May 14, 2026. Wilson, a 41‑year‑old with prior finance roles at Walgreens Boots and Charles River Laboratories, will replace James Richardson, who is exiting after...
Supply Chain Resiliency Increasingly Trumps Cost in Perma-Crisis Era
Corporations are reallocating capital toward supply‑chain resiliency as geopolitical tensions, tariff threats, and lingering pandemic effects create a "perma‑crisis" environment. A May 1 KPMG survey shows 73% of firms will overhaul their supply‑chain operating models within three years, prioritizing risk management....
FASB Tackles Transferable Tax Credits
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) voted to advance a project addressing the accounting treatment of non‑refundable transferable tax credits, a gap highlighted by recent clean‑energy incentives such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Stakeholders...
Inflation Surges 3.8%, Propelled by Gas Price, Outpacing Wage Gains
U.S. consumer price inflation jumped to a three‑year high of 3.8% in May, driven primarily by a 17.9% surge in energy costs, including a 28.4% rise in gasoline and a 54.3% jump in fuel‑oil. Core CPI, which excludes food and...
AI Is the ‘Foundation for Great Work,’ OneTrust CFO Says
OneTrust appointed Doug Owens as CFO in late April, emphasizing AI as the core driver of productivity and strategic advantage. Owens plans to embed artificial intelligence throughout finance, operations, and product development to accelerate scaling and improve decision‑making. He stresses...
SAP Ramps up Push to Bring AI Agents to Finance Teams
SAP announced a sweeping rollout of more than 50 finance‑focused AI assistants, coordinated by over 200 specialized agents, as part of its Autonomous Enterprise strategy. The suite covers cash management, tax, planning, billing and introduces a financial‑closing assistant that automates...
Iran War Inflation Crimps Profits, Plans for Investment, Hiring: NABE
A National Association for Business Economics (NABE) survey shows the Iran war‑driven inflation is squeezing corporate profits and prompting firms to cut back on investment and hiring. Forty‑eight percent of respondents say the conflict has harmed their business, with 44%...
Return on Independence: The New ROI for Modern CFOs
The CFO’s mandate has broadened from pure cost control to driving growth, risk resilience, and strategic expansion. Treasury, once a back‑office control function, is now a lever for speed and competitive advantage, prompting a debate between consolidation and orchestration. The...
Real DeFi Use Cases that Are Changing B2B Payments
Decentralized finance is transitioning from speculative crypto talk to a practical tool for midsize enterprises, offering programmable, direct‑to‑counterparty transactions that cut intermediaries. Smart contracts automate invoice collection and payment, reducing days‑sales‑outstanding and capturing early‑payment discounts without manual effort. DeFi liquidity...
Labor Market Adds 115,000 Jobs, Exceeds Forecasts Despite Iran War
U.S. payrolls added 115,000 jobs in April, outpacing forecasts despite the highest tariffs since the 1930s and a war‑driven surge in fuel prices. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%, with gains spread across retail, warehousing, healthcare and transportation. Chicago...
Berkshire’s Incoming CFO to Reap $8M Salary in Post-Buffet Era
Berkshire Hathaway announced that its incoming chief financial officer, Charles Chang, will earn an $8 million cash salary starting June 1, nearly double the $4.3 million paid to former CFO Marc Hamburg. The filing also grants Hamburg up to 30 NetJets flight hours...
AlphaSense CFO Dedicates at Least 10 Hours per Week to AI Skills
Samantha Greenberg, newly appointed CFO of AlphaSense, has pledged to spend at least 10 hours each week learning and applying artificial‑intelligence techniques. She describes a hands‑on approach that includes workshops, research and building with AI to run an AI‑native finance...