The Federal Reserve refuses to lower its bench-line interest rate until inflation cools down. Basic economic theory says that keeping rates high in an inflationary period helps to bring prices down though it can take time. Does that theory hold up when the Fed — at the behest of Congress and the White House — […]
Did you hear about the office building in New York City purchased for $1 a few weeks back? Or the tower in Los Angeles that sold for HALF the amount it fetched just six years ago? Times are tough in the commercial real estate (CRE) industry – and signs of sunnier days on the horizon […]
A costly and unnecessary climate change reporting rule for the banking sector, favored by European elites, won’t go into effect stateside. The Federal Reserve wisely backed down after enduring a barrage of complaints from U.S. companies. A similar but weaker climate reporting rule from the Securities and Exchange Commission is headed to federal court and […]
Politics reared its ugly head in judicial decisions against Donald Trump and Elon Musk in recent days. The verdicts – not to mention the whopping $350 million civil fraud penalty in Trump’s case – surprised a lot of investors and business owners. The questions many people are asking: Is it safe to do business in […]
How healthy are America’s largest banks? On that question, investors and the credit ranking agencies don’t see eye to eye. Just before Thanksgiving, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded rankings for three banks you may have heard of – Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. For most of 2023, Moody’s ranked the banking giants as […]
Consumers aren’t the only ones getting squeezed by credit card companies and their astronomically high interest rates. Business owners can’t catch much of a break either. NerdWallet’s rankings of the top cards for small business owners and entrepreneurs feature annual percentage rates (APRs) between 18.5% to 21.5%. The cards that don’t list rates require full […]
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) may be the best option for securing a loan these days. Prohibitive interest rates and tighter credit limits by banks are squeezing many small-to-mid-sized businesses in need of capital. As of this past September 1, SBA changed requirements for both loan-seekers and lenders. The upshot is more businesses and […]
How many times has your Finance team seen the word “processing” on their laptop screens this week? Instant payments, both via The Clearing House’s RTP (Real-Time Payment) Network and the Federal Reserve’s 24/7/365 FedNow Service, are poised to change that. Imagine that a key piece of your business’s equipment has broken down. You need to […]
Most businesses think we’re already in a recession or it’s coming early this fall. The good news is, most are fairly confident they’ll survive it. There’s just one major catch. Businesses short on cash are balking at high interest rates and waiting (perhaps in vain) for banks to play ball. Fifty-eight percent of small business […]
