FEI Weekly

December 3, 2019

Many Are Not Trade War Ready, SEC Will Crack Down as Economy Winds Down and Keep Your Productivity Hacks to Yourself

There Is No Plan B in a Trade War

Fox Business

One-quarter of multinational companies have no contingency plans should the U.S.-China trade war drag on, according to a survey. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they had no contingency plans, 20.4 percent said they had plans for up to six months and 34 percent said they had prepared for six to 18 months out. The least prepared sectors were engineering and manufacturing (47.6 percent had no contingency plans) and automotive and mobility (40 percent had no plans). President Donald Trump said a trade agreement with China might have to wait until after the U.S. presidential election in November 2020.

Think Before You Jump

Fast Company

Executives looking to change jobs will be in better shape if they think about what they want in that next job before updating their résumé. Seven experts who coach people about their careers share how to job search the right way.

Tougher Economy Will Lead to Tougher Accounting Enforcement

Bloomberg Law

The US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement provided helpful clues about where the SEC’s enforcement regime may be headed. SEC investigations and enforcement actions will likely rise over the next year, particularly if the economy deteriorates.. Among other things, the SEC will likely focus on examining companies that have not revised or disclosed changes in their accounting estimates in response to a changing economy.

Weighing the Private vs. Public Tradeoff

JD Supra

Cashing in following an initial public offering is the dream for many private company executives. But there are serious issues that public companies regularly confront, which should be weighed carefully by private company owners before they decide to move into the public market. Some of the most serious issues facing private companies going public include a strict regulatory scheme, increased administrative costs, loss of control, potential shareholder fights and intense public scrutiny.

Go Ahead, Sleep In

Medium

Anyone who brags about a 3:30 a.m. gym routine is sending a clear signal: Time is a thing to be optimized rather than enjoyed. Although studies show that employees who started work earlier in the day were rated by their supervisors as more conscientious, it is often just office showmanship that stuff the day to the brim with productivity while preventing people from having a fulfilling career.