Early this month, the administration announced plans for fresh tariffs of 10% on an additional $300 billion in Chinese goods, effective Sept. 1; China responded by announcing a freeze on U.S. agricultural products, and allowing its currency, the yuan, to drop to its lowest level in a decade. Late last week, the president delayed implementation on some of the ... READ MORE >
Technology
IT firms comprise the fastest-growing U.S. industry, with more than double the average growth of all other sectors. From software developers to new gig economy platforms, the middle market is an active participant in this exciting space.
Lessons for software companies from the Great Recession
Software companies operating in the latter part of the business cycle must consider the implications of a potential recession on their business. It’s worth noting that during the Great Recession, some software companies endured and even thrived. A decade later, the industry can learn from these businesses how to prepare for another economic downturn. SaaS ... READ MORE >
Chipmakers face fresh woes in days following Fourth of July holiday
This year, it’s Japan and South Korea. Soon after the U.S. July Fourth holiday last year, the United States–China trade dispute saw significant escalation, and semiconductors were placed on the tariff list. This week, again following Independence Day, the industry has fallen prey to rising trade tensions, as Japan threatens to remove preferential status ... READ MORE >
Semiconductor rally punctuated by news that Huawei permitted as US customer
The semiconductor market got a boost following the administration’s decision on June 29 to allow U.S. chipmakers to supply products to Chinese technology giant Huawei. Industry lobbyists had argued that restricting free trade by blacklisting Huawei would have hurt the U.S. economy. “I’ve agreed -- and pretty easily -- I’ve agreed to allow (Huawei) to ... 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? IPO vs. direct With high rates of cash burn, emerging tech companies have ... READ MORE >
Mexico tariff poised to hurt California tech economy
A proposed new tariff on Mexican imports could have a devastating impact on California’s technology sector; the state imports a disproportionate amount of goods from the United States’ southern trading partner and conversely exports a large amount of products over the border. President Trump on Thursday threatened a 5 percent tariff on all goods from ... READ MORE >
Data breaches are down but more effective
While the number of data breaches per year has doubled in the last decade, there were significantly fewer breaches in 2018 compared to 2017, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, a nonprofit advocacy group for victims of cybercrime (see chart below). Unfortunately, cybercriminals have had greater success in accessing sensitive personal and ... READ MORE >
A pivot point for agriculture : Can agritech save farming?
The U.S. agriculture sector has been hard hit in recent years due to changing global demand and the onset of the Trump administration’s trade conflicts. Growth of real net farm income in 2019 dollars has been negative in nine of the past 19 years. Since 2011 the major agriculture states in the Midwest have experienced negative growth, while California—the ... READ MORE >
Middle market realizes cyber threat, but uncertainty remains–new RSM report on cybersecurity
Worried about getting hacked? Cybercrime has become a reality for the middle market. While major cyber incidents and data breaches at large corporations such as Marriott and Facebook continue to capture global headlines, middle market companies are starting to recognize that they are often the prime target for cybercriminals. In the past, midsize ... READ MORE >
Tech is taking hold in Canada–The Real Economy, Canada has the story
Either by federal and local government promotion of technology or the invisible hand of capitalism, technology has taken hold in cities throughout Canada. The knock-on benefits to local economies as tech industries establish footholds include: the revitalization of city life; increased tax revenue that can be applied to improvements in infrastructure; ... READ MORE >