Corporate governance - Vigil

For a party that campaigned on making the province open for business, Ontario’s recently elected Progressive Conservative government has an unusual way of implementing that pledge.

Is the aging U.S. business cycle entering its last inning, or is there yet a lot more life left in it? Given U.S. tax cuts and historically low unemployment rates, pundit consensus is for the latter – and the U.S. Federal Reserve seems to agree. In its semi-annual report to Congress, the Fed said it saw the economy’s solid economic growth continuing and reiterated its expectation of further gradual interest-rate increases...

The second anniversary of the Brexit referendum is upon us, an entirely inconclusive meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May and her fellow members of the European Council has just ended, and the proverbial clock continues to count down to the October deadline for an exit deal and the March 2019 exit date.

Benefit corporations[1] are free to pursue profit and purpose.[2]  That is to say, each benefit corporation is free to focus on good acts, defined as those acts that have “a material positive impact on society and the environment.”[3]

A legal loophole allows major banks to avoid telling American authorities about certain trading in financial instruments known as derivatives.

This is a column for insider trading junkies—a special breed who love all the nuances in this very nuanced subject. Late last month, a Second Circuit panel did something fairly unusual: It withdrew a 2017 decision and substituted a new opinion with a new rationale (but still with the same 2-1 division on the panel).

The pressure has been coming from all directions—the Congress, the Treasury—indeed, there’s been nary an advisory committee that hasn’t weighed in on this topic: time for the SEC to change the definition of “smaller reporting company.”

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese companies are increasingly turning to investment banks and public relations firms for advice on dealing with potential approaches by activist investors who are targeting low valuations and cross-shareholdings in the nation.

How many retail stores will Ontario need to meet the demand for cannabis, which is set to become legal for sale in less than three months?

Concentrated wealth leads to concentrated power

Third Point, Daniel Loeb’s activist hedge fund, has taken a stake in the online payments company PayPal and is projecting that the shares will surge 40 per cent within 18 months. 

(Reuters) - Shares of Papa John’s International Inc (PZZA.O) fell 8 percent on Monday after the Pizza chain said it would implement a “poison pill” stock dilution that would act against any move by founder John Schnatter to take a bigger stake.

On June 28, 2018, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act (the “CCPA” or the “Act”), which will take effect on January 1, 2020.[1]  The Act applies to any organization that conducts business in California and satisfies one of three conditions:  (1) has annual gross revenue in excess of $25,000,000...

Germany’s new government is composed of the same two parties as its previous one, but many in Germany and outside expected one major change: more government spending

In a 1970 New York Times article, Milton Friedman proclaimed that the business of business was business, and corporations primarily need to focus on shareholder value. The corporate perspective has evolved significantly since then, though there is ongoing debate as to whether a commitment to social purpose activities detracts from profitability and growth.

“Common ownership” describes a structure in which a small group of large institutional investors—such as BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street Advisors and Fidelity—have significant ownership in horizontal competitors. Between 1980 and 2012 common ownership rates increased dramatically.

Markets have reason to be jittery over the firm’s valuation and finances