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This little-known accounting measure is ringing an economic warning bell

Jul 12, 2023
The level of corporate earnings manipulation is similar to that of other pre-recessionary periods, according to the M-Score.
The M-Score was used to flag Enron as having an elevated risk of fraud years before the company filed for bankruptcy.
James Nielsen/Getty Images

When will the tech giants' AI investments start paying off?

Apr 25, 2023
Microsoft and Alphabet both reporting earnings this week. Expect AI to play a big role in their earnings reports.

Why big banks are "canaries in the economic coal mine"

Jan 9, 2023
On Friday, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase will post earning reports. Parts of their business struggled in the fourth quarter.

What’s the best way to measure corporate performance?

Feb 18, 2022
“There isn’t one,” said Patrick Badolato, a professor of accounting. But investors and analysts use “net income” and “EBITDA” in their attempts.
Obscure financial metrics "seem to tell a nice and neat and tidy story, and the reality is messy and nuanced,” said Patrick Badolato, an associate professor of accounting at the University of Texas.
George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images

What's the deal with the U.S. dollar?

Jul 26, 2019
From presidential tweets to corporate earnings reports, the U.S. dollar has been getting a lot of mentions recently.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Don't look at corporate earnings for clues on how the economy is doing

Apr 30, 2019
What's good (or bad) for corporations may not be good for the economy overall.
Board members watch a video demonstration for the Surface Hub 2 during the Microsoft annual shareholders meeting in Bellevue, Washington, in 2018.
Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

With regulations, India sets up roadblocks for Amazon

Feb 1, 2019
In its push for global dominance, Amazon bet big on India as a major growth market. But the company wasn’t counting on the country’s tough new e-commerce rules. With the retail market saturated at home, Amazon, Walmart and other corporations must find emerging markets to grow. So why is India limiting Amazon’s services? And how will […]

As corporate earnings season rolls on, winners and losers emerge

Tariffs are costing some companies plenty. Others are immune, at least for now, and benefiting from tax cuts.
“We have the highest prices in the world right now for aluminum and steel,” said Kristin Dziczek, a vice president at the Center for Automotive Research. Above, Ford Mustangs are assembled at a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, in 2004.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

As corporate earnings season rolls on, winners and losers emerge

Tariffs are costing some companies plenty. Others are immune, at least for now, and benefiting from tax cuts.
“We have the highest prices in the world right now for aluminum and steel,” said Kristin Dziczek, a vice president at the Center for Automotive Research. Above, Ford Mustangs are assembled at a plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, in 2004.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images