Blogs

Article | 5 min |
Executives meeting to create an action plan
You’ve invested countless long, hard hours in building a stable, profitable business with a bright future. But negative economic forces can strike at any time, destabilizing your finances and possibly even endangering the survival of your business. This is one of the main reasons it’s so important to build and maintain healthy cash reserves. Cash reserves serve many important purposes including helping business owners meet unexpected expenses while also stabilizing cash flow and easing overall financial stress. This guide to cash reserves explains why it’s so important for a business to have...
Article | 7 min |
Picture of statue at Federal Reserve
Commonly known as the Beige Book, this report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts and other sources. The Beige Book summarizes this information by District and sector. An overall summary of the twelve district reports is prepared by a designated Federal Reserve Bank on a rotating basis. Overall Economic Activity Retail sales, including autos, remained mixed; sales of...
Article | 5 min |
Welder working on piece of equipment
The potentially transformative capabilities of advanced AI, automation, and robotics technology are ushering in a new era for manufacturing. Yet, at the same time, extracting value from the digital transformation is more complicated than it might seem. Case in point—an overwhelming 88% of companies report difficulties measuring value from technological investments. The same report found that 85% of companies struggle to simultaneously update operating models to accommodate their new visions and cover the upfront investment costs for new technology. These challenges are further compounded for...
Article | 3 min |
Business owner holding up his credit card
Between costs like rent, inventory, and payroll, it can be hard for businesses to cover expenses. Even if you have enough cash on hand to fulfill your obligations, an unexpected cost could derail your operation. Could a business credit card help? High interest rates might make you hesitant to open up a credit card for your business; however, obtaining a business card can be advantageous in certain circumstances. But before determining if this financial tool is right for your business, you first need to know its ins and outs. Why Should a Small Business Have a Credit Card? The idea of charging...
Article | 5 min |
Quarterly Market Review: Q4 2023 By: Paul Dickson, Director of Research and Giri Krishnan, Senior Portfolio Manager The “Soft-Landing” Has Become the Default Scenario The Federal Reserve signaled that it is likely done with rate hikes. The markets responded favorably, nearly doubling the annual return on the S&P 500. This signaling also moved the U.S. Aggregate Bond market from being in the red to having a decisively positive year. The pivot in policymakers’ outlook was somewhat of a surprise given that the data-informed policy has not improved nearly as much as their stance has changed. While...