Even in a volatile economic year, dealmaking in the cybersecurity sector continues to be robust. One of the largest cybersecurity deals this year involved RSA Security, which was carved out of Dell EMC at a transaction price of $2 billion. More recently, SentinelOne raised $267 million in its Series F financing that was led by Tiger Global Management. The ... READ MORE >
Coronavirus
Please visit RSM’s Coronavirus Resource Center for business insights on how to mitigate risks related to the outbreak and tips to plan accordingly.
Pre-holiday data deluge: A November to remember
A series of economic reports released on Wednesday captured the cross currents in the American economy: Jobless claims increase First-time jobless claims rose for the second consecutive week, with the top line increasing to 778,000 for the week ending Nov. 21, up from 742,000 previously, according to the Labor Department. It is clear that the ... READ MORE >
RSM U.K. Financial Conditions Index: Adjusting expectations after double-dosed shocks
The news that Oxford/AstraZeneca has created a vaccine that is potentially 62% effective with two full doses and 90% effective if a person gets a half a dose followed by a full dose is a much-needed boost for a beleaguered U.K. economy. This will bolster U.K. financial conditions and economic prospects heading into the end of the year. New cases of ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: In the video game industry, it’s the most wonderful time
The arrival of the holiday shopping season has buoyed the hopes of retailers catering to a younger crowd, even as coronavirus cases continue to rise. This is especially the case with video games. The Entertainment Software Association, in a survey, found that 38% of people age 18 to 34 play video games on a regular basis. It’s also an ideal activity for ... READ MORE >
Coronavirus update: The beginning of the end
The number of potential coronavirus vaccines has increased to three with Oxford/AstraZeneca announcing on Monday that that their technology is potentially 62% effective with two full doses and 90% effective if one gets a half a dose followed by a full dose. Moreover, the vaccine requires distribution and storage at normal temperatures, which will be ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Household debt increases as consumers resume borrowing
Consumers resumed borrowing after a pullback in the second quarter during the onset of the pandemic, according to the New York Federal Reserve’s third-quarter report on household debt and credit balances. The net increase of $87 billion in total household debt outstanding was driven primarily by growth in mortgages, with an $85 billion increase, and auto ... READ MORE >
Anticipating a flood of personal and commercial bankruptcies in 2021
The roughly $3 trillion in pandemic aid pumped into the economy in the spring worked to such an extent that it most likely prevented an increase in personal and commercial bankruptcies. But that is likely to change as the long shadow of the economic shock causes firms and individuals to turn to the courts for a fresh start through the shedding of ... READ MORE >
Comment: Treasury Department moves to end select pandemic-era lending programs
Risks to the economic outlook have been rising recently because an array of benefits meant to blunt the economic downturn are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31. Those risks increased on Thursday when the Treasury Department told the Federal Reserve that it would not extend nine of the 13 liquidity and lending programs aimed at easing the effects of the ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: A key measure of future inflation implies disinflation risks
The Federal Reserve’s preferred forward-looking inflation metric -- called the five-year, five-year forward break-even inflation rate -- implies that pricing risks to the economic outlook revolve around disinflation, not inflation, over the next 10 years. The metric -- which measures the expected inflation rate over the five-year period that begins five ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Existing home sales climb, further depleting inventory
Existing home sales increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.85 million in October, representing a 4.3% increase month over month and the highest level since February 2006, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors. This increase, combined with homeowners’ reluctance to sell, has depleted inventory, which ... READ MORE >