Companies that previously locked in energy prices are being shielded from surging gas, oil and electricity markets, but that protection will fade as hedges expire and the costs of new ones catch up with today’s higher energy prices.
CFOs Seek Higher Returns on Cash, but Banks May Be Slow to Raise Rates
Finance chiefs and treasurers expect to earn higher interest on cash piles parked at banks once interest rates go up, but banks, awash with trillions of dollars in deposits, might take their time before they pay commercial customers more.
Companies Scrap IPOs Amid Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Companies are putting the brakes on planned initial public offerings and other equity capital markets transactions as investors pull back following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Brink’s Stops Russia-Related Transactions to Comply With U.S. Sanctions, CFO Says
Cash-management company Brink’s Co. has halted all operations in Russia, including bank note transfers, to ensure it complies with newly introduced U.S. sanctions against the country, its finance chief said.
Cruise CFO Hammers Out Robotaxi Venture’s Cost Structure Ahead of Charging Customers
Cruise finance chief Bill Nash said he is learning from other ride-hailing companies as he works to finalize the cost structure of his company’s robotaxi venture.
Applied Materials Uses Automation to Shift How Finance Workers Spend Their Time
Applied Materials Inc. is working to automate its finance processes to boost efficiency and free up employees for more analytical tasks. Here’s how.
Marriott Plans to Slash Debt by Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in 2022
Marriott International Inc. is working to slash its debt and is considering its options for $1.5 billion in maturities that will come due between now and the end of 2024, the hotel chain’s finance chief said.
Higher Interest Rates Not a Major Worry for CFOs of Large U.S. Companies
Many finance chiefs have done their homework. They refinanced some of their companies’ debt maturities early and locked in cheap rates, making them less exposed to rising interest rates and higher funding costs. Executives at large U.S. companies, including General Motors Co., XPO Logistics Inc. and Levi Strauss & Co., said they aren’t overly concerned about tighter monetary policy, given that interest rates are set to rise from low levels.
Microsoft Keeps Its Finance Head Count Flat With AI, Bots and Other Tech
Cory Hrncirik, who leads Microsoft’s Modern Finance initiative, told WSJ’s CFO Journal about the tools the company is using to streamline and simplify finance work, and why the organization still uses Excel for some tasks.
Connecting With Small Shareholders Remains a Challenge for Companies
A year after the meme-stock frenzy took off, many companies continue to struggle to connect with the small investors who collectively showed how they can take share prices for a wild ride.