A closer look at the private equity industry shows a growing divide among firms. The largest private equity firms – those with individual funds of $1 billion or greater – are driving a disproportionate amount of capital flows. … READ MORE >
Blog
As the coronavirus spreads, bond markets take notice
Fears over the outbreak of the coronavirus in China have combined with moderated corporate earnings and continued delays over the Boeing 737 Max to suppress yields on 10-year Treasuries. … READ MORE >
Holding interest rates steady, Bank of Canada keeps the door open for a cut
The tone of the Bank of Canada’s policy statement would imply that it stands ready to cut rates to bolster the domestic economy should growth slow. … READ MORE >
As coronavirus spreads, American hospitals need to be prepared
For the American health care system and its workers, the speed of the virus’s spread and the memories of previous epidemics are warning signs that they need to be prepared to contend with a potentially deadly outbreak at home. … READ MORE >
In the digital age, knowing the customer becomes all the more important
Knowing the customer has become especially important in the digital age, when a company like Amazon has leveraged its extensive use of customer data to help it become one of the nation’s largest retailers. … READ MORE >
USMCA is a solid opportunity for the middle market
The pact, called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, includes a chapter dedicated to small and medium enterprises – a first for a multilateral trade agreement – and also adopts a wide array of provisions from the abrogated Trans Pacific Partnership trade treaty. Both of these provisions are major wins. … READ MORE >
The Bank of Canada’s dilemma — stability versus rate cut
While maintaining the overnight rate at 1.75% would appear to be prudent at the very least, we would argue that the Bank of Canada should strongly consider cutting rates in the near term. … READ MORE >
Retail sales close out year on a positive note
The health of the American consumer remains strong as outlays on retail sales closed out the year on a positive note with plenty of room for upward revisions. U.S. December advance retail sales increased 0.3% on a month-over-month basis and was up 6% on a year-ago basis. … READ MORE >
Women outnumber men in the workforce, and the middle market must adapt
The December U.S. Employment Report provided a sign that the U.S. labor market, economy and the basic relationship between work and the individual has now reached tipping point. Women now outnumber men in the workforce by 50.04% to 49.96%. … READ MORE >
Canada added 35,200 jobs in December, exceeding estimates
The Canadian economy added 35,200 jobs in December, significantly greater than the 25,000 expected by economists. This partially offsets the 71,000 job losses in November’s Statistics Canada labor market survey. The unemployment rate fell by 0.3 percentage points to reach 5.6%, near the historic low of 5.5% last recorded in October of last year. … READ MORE >