Financial Management Articles | Vistage Research Center /research-center/category/business-financials/feed/ Resource for Business Leadership, Coaching, and CEOs Mon, 07 Apr 2025 22:51:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 141323424 Uncertainty returns CEO confidence to pre-election levels [Q1 2025 CEO Index] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250407-uncertainty-ceo-confidence-q1-vistage-ceo-index/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250407-uncertainty-ceo-confidence-q1-vistage-ceo-index /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250407-uncertainty-ceo-confidence-q1-vistage-ceo-index/#respond Mon, 07 Apr 2025 22:17:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=47168 Uncertainty rules, much like it did through the recovery phase of a post-pandemic economy. The hopes and beliefs following the election for a pro-business tax and regulatory environment, along with stabilized inflation and interest rates and increased business activity, have...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250407-uncertainty-ceo-confidence-q1-vistage-ceo-index/feed/ 0 47168 Mergers and acquisitions trends for 2025 and beyond /research-center/business-financials/mergers-acquisitions/20230717-mergers-and-acquisitions-trends-2023-and-beyond/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20230717-mergers-and-acquisitions-trends-2023-and-beyond /research-center/business-financials/mergers-acquisitions/20230717-mergers-and-acquisitions-trends-2023-and-beyond/#respond Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:30:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=44205 Editor’s Note: This post has been updated from 2023. The historical content is available below. It’s been the best of times and worst of times for mergers and acquisitions. As volume and valuations rose in Q4 of 2024, it was...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/mergers-acquisitions/20230717-mergers-and-acquisitions-trends-2023-and-beyond/feed/ 0 44205 Tariffs continue to erode small business confidence [WSJ/Vistage March 2025] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250326-tariffs-erode-small-business-confidence-wsj-survey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250326-tariffs-erode-small-business-confidence-wsj-survey /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250326-tariffs-erode-small-business-confidence-wsj-survey/#respond Wed, 26 Mar 2025 19:04:55 +0000 /research-center/?p=47102 The reversal of post-election optimism continues, with small business confidence declining for the third consecutive month. This follows the surge in November and December driven by expectations for business-friendly policies of a new administration. The WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250326-tariffs-erode-small-business-confidence-wsj-survey/feed/ 0 47102 The CEO Pulse: Tariffs Resource Center /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250321-the-ceo-pulse-tariffs-resource-center/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250321-the-ceo-pulse-tariffs-resource-center /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250321-the-ceo-pulse-tariffs-resource-center/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:29:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=47063 Following the high of the 2024 election, the introduction of tariffs has deflated the optimism of CEOs of small and midsize businesses. Our latest research reveals that nearly 70% of CEOs expect negative impacts of changing tariff and trade policies,...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250321-the-ceo-pulse-tariffs-resource-center/feed/ 0 47063 What’s driving increasing CEO pessimism? Tariffs and trade /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250321-ceo-pulse-tariffs-and-trade/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250321-ceo-pulse-tariffs-and-trade /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250321-ceo-pulse-tariffs-and-trade/#respond Fri, 21 Mar 2025 18:25:38 +0000 /research-center/?p=47075 For CEOs of small and midsize businesses, the on-again, off-again tariffs are a source of increasing pessimism about the year ahead, and the threat of reciprocal tariffs and trade policies only adds to the uncertainty. Early analysis of the Q1...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250321-ceo-pulse-tariffs-and-trade/feed/ 0 47075 Post-election optimism reverses swiftly over tariffs [WSJ/Vistage Feb 2025] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250219-post-election-optimism-reverses-wsj-survey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250219-post-election-optimism-reverses-wsj-survey /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250219-post-election-optimism-reverses-wsj-survey/#respond Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:50:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=46966 The post-election confidence among small businesses has reversed over the last few months, dropping the WSJ/Vistage Small Business Index to 94.8 as details on tariffs — when, where and how much — have become clearer. While small business confidence has...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250219-post-election-optimism-reverses-wsj-survey/feed/ 0 46966 Tangling with tariffs in 2025: CEOs share their strategies /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250206-tariffs-in-2025/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250206-tariffs-in-2025 /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250206-tariffs-in-2025/#respond Fri, 07 Feb 2025 04:12:22 +0000 /research-center/?p=46929 As the new administration moves forward with the promised tariffs in 2025, small and midsize businesses are concerned about their impacts. Last month, analysis of data from the WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index revealed that 37% of small businesses...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250206-tariffs-in-2025/feed/ 0 46929 Small business confidence settles post-election [WSJ/Vistage Jan 2025] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey/#respond Tue, 28 Jan 2025 17:02:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=46885 After rising for 4 months, confidence among small businesses has waned slightly in the new year. The WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index declined 5 points in January to 106.9. The survey was conducted before the inauguration; next month’s survey...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250128-small-business-confidence-settles-wsj-survey/feed/ 0 46885 CEO confidence surges, indicating growth in 2025 [Q4 Vistage CEO Index] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250115-ceo-confidence-surges-q4-vistage-ceo-index/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250115-ceo-confidence-surges-q4-vistage-ceo-index /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250115-ceo-confidence-surges-q4-vistage-ceo-index/#respond Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:52:13 +0000 /research-center/?p=46833 Heading into 2025, CEO confidence is optimistic on all fronts. The Vistage CEO Confidence Index soared 15.7 points to reach 100.8, signaling the approach of the long-anticipated growth cycle. Excluding the post-pandemic surge created by stimulus: Positive sentiment about the...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250115-ceo-confidence-surges-q4-vistage-ceo-index/feed/ 0 46833 Small business confidence leaps into the new year [WSJ/Vistage Dec 2024] /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250106-small-business-confidence-leaps-wsj-survey/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=20250106-small-business-confidence-leaps-wsj-survey /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250106-small-business-confidence-leaps-wsj-survey/#respond Tue, 07 Jan 2025 01:54:00 +0000 /research-center/?p=46790 The upward trend in small business confidence continues. The WSJ/Vistage Small Business CEO Confidence Index rose for the fourth consecutive month, reaching 111.9 in December. Outside of the surge fueled by government stimulus in the summer of 2021, this is...

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]]> /research-center/business-financials/economic-trends/20250106-small-business-confidence-leaps-wsj-survey/feed/ 0 46790