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Finance leaders are increasingly under pressure as employer healthcare costs are projected to rise about 9.5% in 2026, the largest increase in at least 15 years. Cava chief financial officer Tricia Tolivar says the restaurant chain already raised employee premiums in 2025 and is now considering self-insuring to gain greater control over costs while maintaining employee benefits. At Costco, CFO Gary Millerchip noted healthcare expenses recently grew faster than company sales, an unusual trend the retailer is monitoring closely. Meanwhile, Ethan Allen CFO Matt McNulty said the company has seen the cost of individual medical claims rise significantly, with some treatments now 15%–25% more expensive than a few years ago. As healthcare spending continues to climb, CFOs are exploring strategies such as self-insurance, tighter vendor negotiations, benefit redesign and cost-sharing with employees to manage the financial impact while still supporting workers’ healthcare coverage.

 

Wall Street Journal

BlackRock is committing $100m to fund training programs for skilled trade workers as part of its growing push into infrastructure investing. The initiative, called Future Builders, will support workforce development in fields such as plumbing, electrical work, HVAC, and ironworking by partnering with nonprofits and training organizations. The program aims to guide workers from pre-apprenticeship through licensing. The investment comes as the world’s largest asset manager expands its focus on private infrastructure projects, including data centers, energy systems, and transportation networks. BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink has argued that aging infrastructure and rising government deficits will require trillions of dollars in private investment in the coming years. Company research suggests demand for skilled tradespeople could exceed current training capacity, potentially slowing the construction of new infrastructure. BlackRock leaders say investing in workforce development is essential to ensure that large infrastructure projects can move forward.

 

Wall Street Journal

Massachusetts-based green cement startup Sublime Systems has cut two-thirds of its workforce after President Donald Trump’s administration canceled a $87m grant that would have supported its first major manufacturing facility. As a result of the loss, “The company has faced compounding challenges in assembling the capital stack required to scale our operations,” a Sublime spokesperson explained. Sublime uses an electrochemical process that eliminates limestone - cement’s main ingredient - which releases carbon dioxide when it is heated up and broken down. Prior to the layoffs, Sublime employed between 80 and 90 people.

 

Bloomberg

The Pentagon is building a new team of investment bankers with private equity expertise to ​invest $200bn over three years in defense deals. The Department of Defense is specifically going after Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and Bank of ​America as prime recruiting targets for the 30-person team. A document reviewed by Semafor prepared by search firm Heidrick & Struggles pitches a chance to “serve your country” and deploy “more capital than most investors deploy in their entire careers.”

 

Semafor

Oracle is stepping up preparations to cut jobs as the company credits artificial intelligence (AI) with driving efficiencies in its team and conserves cash to fund its costly push into data centers. The company's shares rose 9% on Wednesday after it posted robust fiscal third-quarter earnings.

 

CNBC	Financial Times

U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer has announced new trade investigations into 16 economies, including the EU, Taiwan, Switzerland, India, Japan and Korea. The probes relate to “structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors.” The investigations under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 will determine whether their acts, policies and practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce. "We need to protect American jobs, and we need to make sure we have fair trade with our trading partners," Greer said. The investigation could result in new tariffs as soon as this summer.

 

Yahoo News

Fibre2Fashion

Financial Times

U.S. inflation held steady in February, with consumer prices rising 2.4% year-over-year, matching January’s rate and economists’ expectations. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, increased 2.5%, suggesting price pressures were relatively contained before recent geopolitical developments. However, economists warn that the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran could soon push inflation higher, particularly through rising energy costs. Oil prices have already surged and are averaging around $82 per barrel this month, compared with about $65 in February, amid disruptions tied to the conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route. Energy prices rose 0.5% from a year earlier, while food prices increased 3.1%, the largest gain since August. Shelter costs also climbed 3%, although rent increases have slowed compared with previous years. Despite the stable inflation reading, the report is unlikely to change the Federal Reserve’s cautious, wait-and-see stance on interest rates. Policymakers are more focused on another measure, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) price index, which has recently been running higher than the Labor Department’s inflation gauge.

 

The Detroit News

CNBC

US News and World Report

Wall Street Journal

The U.S. federal budget deficit exceeded $1tn for the fiscal year through February, reaching $1.004tn, but was 12% lower than the same period in 2025 as government revenues rose faster than spending. A major contributor was a surge in tariff collections, which jumped to $151bn, nearly four times higher than a year earlier. However, corporate tax revenues fell 17%, and rising interest rates continue to strain finances, with $79bn in net interest payments on the nearly $39tn national debt in February alone - making it one of the government’s largest expenses.

 

Investing

CNBC

Papa John’s is reviewing a $47-per-share takeover offer from Irth Capital Management, a Qatari-backed investment fund supported by Brookfield Asset Management, which would value the pizza chain at about $1.5bn. The bid represents roughly a 50% premium to the company’s share price before the offer was submitted. Irth, already a shareholder with about a 10% stake, had previously attempted to acquire the company with Apollo Global Management last year. The potential deal comes as Papa John’s struggles with declining sales and increasing competition from rivals such as Domino’s, prompting store closures, job cuts and other turnaround efforts. Shares rose about 19% following news of the bid.

 

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

The energy shock caused by the Middle East war was a “Covid moment” for many businesses in forcing them to rethink how they power their operations, according to State Street CEO Ron O'Hanley.

 

Financial Times

KPMG is introducing a new incentive program that offers cash prizes to employees who develop innovative uses of artificial intelligence (AI). The initiative, called the “AI Spark Innovation” awards, is designed to encourage consultants in the firm’s U.S. advisory division to create AI-driven solutions that improve client services or increase internal efficiency. According to Rob Fisher, KPMG’s U.S. vice chair of advisory, the awards will provide “outsized monetary” rewards that could exceed typical year-end bonuses. While exact amounts were not disclosed, the prizes are expected to be especially attractive to junior staff, with fixed-dollar awards potentially worth several thousand dollars. The rewards may be shared among teams depending on the scale and impact of the idea. The program aims to promote “grassroots innovation” at a time when consulting firms are investing heavily in AI. Traditionally, consultants are evaluated based on billable hours, which can leave little time to experiment with new technology. KPMG hopes that financial incentives will encourage employees to bring forward creative AI applications that can be scaled across the organization. Following a pilot earlier in 2026, the firm plans to begin awarding prizes next quarter, with nominations reviewed quarterly by a steering committee. KPMG said it may exceed its planned budget if enough ideas demonstrate significant client impact or operational benefits.

 

Business Insider

One of the organizers of a more-than year-long national boycott against Target has said the campaign is now over, claiming that an agreement has been reached with the company. Pastor Jamal Bryant, one of the faith leaders who led the movement, made the announcement at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. However, local activists in Minnesota responded by saying that the boycott, which began after Target walked back some of its diversity policies, is continuing, as their main demands are yet to be met. "The Target boycott continues", said civil rights attorney and minister Nekima Armstrong. "From the beginning, we said the Target boycott would be indefinite, unless and until Target took the steps to address the fact that they rolled back diversity, equity and inclusion in order to capitulate to the Trump administration." In other Target news, the firm is lowering prices on more than 3,000 products, including apparel, home goods and everyday essentials, as part of new chief executive Michael Fiddelke’s plan to revive sales after three years of declines. The move comes as U.S. consumers remain cautious due to persistent inflation, higher energy costs and tariffs, prompting retailers to compete more aggressively on price. Target will also invest over $2bn this year in store remodels, new products and customer experience improvements. 

 

CBS News

Fox 9 News

Reuters

Minnesota Star Tribune

Leaders from accounting organizations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have renewed a memorandum of understanding to facilitate cross-border practice for accountants until December 31, 2028. This extension of the Mutual Recognition Agreement, originally signed in 2017, aims to streamline the process for accountants to work internationally with fewer administrative barriers. Jim Knafo, the AICPA's director of global alliances, said: "This agreement protects the cross-border practice of U.S. CPAs and their counterparts in Canada and Mexico." Daniel Dustin, president and CEO of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, emphasized the importance of maintaining strong standards while allowing qualified professionals to practice across borders. More details on international mutual recognition agreements can be found on NASBA's resource page.

 

Accounting Today

CPA Practice Advisor

Journal of Accountancy

The Accountant Online

PwC and Deloitte have evacuated their Dubai offices as regional tensions escalate due to the ongoing conflict involving Iran. PwC temporarily closed offices across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait, while Deloitte instructed staff to leave its premises in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Other companies in the area, including Citi, also asked employees to vacate offices as a precaution. The evacuations follow Iranian warnings that economic and financial infrastructure could be targeted, raising security concerns across the Gulf. Businesses are scaling back their physical presence in the region as authorities and companies prioritise employee safety amid the heightened risk of attacks.

 

International Accounting Bulletin

Morgan Stanley is hiring contract staff in Hong Kong for IPO due diligence amid a surge in stock listings. The move, which Reuters says is a ‌first for a Wall Street bank in the region, aims to ​control costs while meeting stronger demand in the Asian financial hub's ultra-competitive investment banking industry. "Their [contractors'] total package is significantly lower than a banker hired on permanent headcount. Morgan Stanley could spend ​less and take up more deals," a source said.

 

Reuters