Over the course of several weeks from March to early May this year, three large U.S. banks failed in a sequence of events that has come to be known as the Banking Crisis of 2023. Fears arose at the time that the bank failures could become a contagion event across the banking industry. With the passage of time since the most recent failure, there seems to be a general perception that the banking crisis has subsided. But even though the situation may have calmed down, concerns remain that there could be more of the story to be told about the 2023 Banking Crisis. What should we be worried about, and what are the signs to watch for?Continue Reading Where Are We Now With the Banking Crisis of 2023?

There were more U.S. bankruptcy filings in 2020 than in any year since the global financial crisis, but the number of bankruptcy filings in the first half of 2021 returned closer to historical levels, according to a new report from Cornerstone Research. The report, entitled “Trends in Large Corporate Bankruptcy and Financial Distress: Midyear 2021 Update,” looks at bankruptcy filings involving private and public companies with assets over $100 million. The report can be found here, and Cornerstone Research’s August 25, 2021 press release about the report can be found here.
Continue Reading Cornerstone Research: Bankruptcy Filings Returned Closer to Historic Levels in 1H21

Unless dramatic counter-measures are taken, annual losses to the U.S. economy from climate change could reach billions of dollars by the end of the century, according to a comprehensive interagency report from the U.S. federal government released last week. Even though the report’s subject arguably is outside this blog’s bailiwick, I am highlighting the report here out of a concern that due to the report’s publication late in the afternoon on the Friday of a holiday weekend many may have missed the report and its message. The report is sober, detailed, and serious, and should be read and studied by anyone concerned about important risks facing our national economy and business environment. The bottom line is that climate change clearly represents a significant risk for all enterprises, regardless of sector and of geographic location.
Continue Reading Unless Checked, Climate Change Could Decimate U.S. Economy