Kevin Depew, RSM deputy chief economist and industry eminence program leader, discusses the firm’s proprietary second quarter Middle Market Business Index results with Kathryn Mulligan, editor-in-chief of ACG Global’s Middle Market Growth magazine, in a podcast taped on June 19. … READ MORE >
Blog
SCOTUS rejects challenge to administration’s steel tariffs
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear a case seeking to overturn the administration’s power to impose more than $4 billion in steel tariffs, turning away an appeal that challenged its use of national security as the legal justification for the United States’ trade agenda. … READ MORE >
Calculating the likelihood of recession–RSM partners with UCLA Anderson Forecast
RSM recently entered into a strategic partnership with the UCLA Anderson Forecast, a longstanding and well-respected barometer of the economies of California and the United States issued by UCLA Anderson School of Management, based on GDP data and other economic indicators. … READ MORE >
The RSM Brexit Stress Index: A respite, but for how long?
The RSM Brexit Stress Index closed lower for the third week in a row, as the British economy contends with an uncertain political future nearly a month after Prime Minister Theresa May’s announced resignation. The composite index—which measures economic stress surrounding Britain’s pending departure from the European Union—moderated to 0.23 on Friday from 0.24 a week earlier. … READ MORE >
Middle market biz sentiment is improving; RSM’s MMBI uncovers why
Middle market business sentiment staged an impressive recovery in the second quarter, as the proprietary RSM US Middle Market Business Index rose to 132.3 from 124.1 in the prior period. The positive outlook was bolstered by robust revenue and earnings results at executives’ companies, and expectations that those trends will continue. … READ MORE >
Slack is anything but, in its debut on the NYSE in direct listing
A number of highly anticipated tech IPOs took place in the first half of 2019. But Slack, the workplace chat company debuting on the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, chose a direct listing. Is the approach, also taken by online music platform Spotify in 2018, becoming a trend? … READ MORE >
Philadelphia Fed’s manufacturing gauge weakens sharply in June
Philadelphia Fed’s manufacturing gauge falls in June, registering its lowest level since February when the index registered zero. … READ MORE >
Treatment of some leases under new FASB standard can result in balance sheet surprise
So-called embedded leases may not be the first thing you think of when considering the effects of ASU 2016-02 under the new FASB standard for lease accounting. But this much-anticipated new rule can provide a forcing mechanism for how your business treats leases tied to service contracts. … READ MORE >
Cautious builders continue to mute housing supply
Key government housing metrics continue to show year-over-year declines. Housing starts fell 11.2% in May, according to the Commerce Department, while permits declined 3.8%. These numbers strongly imply there will be a fall back toward 1.22 million housing completions on an annualized basis in the coming months. … READ MORE >
Fed loses patience, sets tone for potential rate cuts
The Federal Reserve set the predicate for a shift in policy to an accommodative stance later this year by revising downward its forecast on inflation and its estimate on the path of rate policy. … READ MORE >