A.E. Feldman Blog

As prices at the pump continue to soar, funding for U.S. infrastructure is falling. That’s according to the latest report from the U.S. Department of Transportation. A separate report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) also finds that at least $140 billion is needed to make major repairs or upgrades [...]

Risk continues to top the list of corporate priorities among companies in the financial sector as well as a growing number of non-financial businesses. A recent survey of leading figures in the financial services industry from global service provider, Omgeo, shows that nearly 90% of respondents are taking increased measures to protect their firms against [...]

Amid cutbacks and recession woes, Wall Street firms are beefing up their restructuring teams. As the economy continues to slow, a number of experts anticipate a virtual flood of bankruptcies and restructurings in the coming months. Big investment banks are building their restructuring departments in a bid to provide financial advice and financing to companies [...]

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) have assumed a more centralized planning function in companies, according to SearchCIO.com, citing a new Forrester Research study. The study also shows that as the IT function has taken on a more strategic role, the CIO more often reports to the chief executive. The report quotes Bobby Cameron, Principal Analyst at Forrester [...]

Institutional investors say alternative investments are no longer “alternative.” That’s according to the results of a recent survey by JPMorgan Asset Management, which examined the investment strategies and practices of some of the nation’s largest institutional investors. The study confirms that alternative investment strategies are now established components of institutional portfolios – and no longer [...]

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell says infrastructure renewal would boost U.S. global competitiveness and stimulate the slowing economy battered by tighter credit and soaring oil prices. Rendell says public-private partnerships (P3’s) and imposing tolls on roads are essential to getting the job done. While governments around the world, particularly in Europe and Latin America, have shifted [...]

U.S. companies need to prepare for the convergence of global accounting standards. A mid-year update of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s agenda left no doubt that the group is actively planning for U.S. GAAP to be replaced by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), reports CFO.com. Moreover, a large majority of accounting leaders from around the [...]

The credit crisis has triggered a broad and growing emphasis on risk. In fact, a recent study conducted by KPMG’s Audit Committee Institute (ACI) and the National Association of Corporate Directors shows that risk management is now the biggest concern for audit committees. Moreover, although most audit committee members at public companies say their audit [...]

Bankruptcy filings in the U.S. were up 33% in June compared to a year ago thanks to the slowing economy and turmoil in the housing market, according to RiskCenter. Moreover, they are currently on track to surpass one million in a year for the first time since bankruptcy laws were tightened in October 2005. Companies [...]

The slowing economy has pushed more companies to become rigorous in protecting their ideas and find ways to expand and generate income. As a result, a growing number of corporations are focusing on the strength of their patent portfolio. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), just 30 years ago most company valuation was determined by capital assets, [...]