ISSUE #6
The Golden Goose Limps and Coughs
The first 2 months of the Trump Administration's new term have added a number of uncertainties to the US and global economy, posing a litany of new challenges to companies across industries and geographies. Borrowers in manufacturing face a fresh set of supply chain challenges, with evolving tariff threats potentially upending existing relationships and pricing. Rapid, substantial layoffs, at both government agencies and companies, are reducing the skills and capabilities required to forecast and protect against growing climate and cybersecurity threats. Lenders and borrowers across a wide swathe of the economy face an unprecedented set of interconnected risks to their businesses. Will the US economic goose keep laying golden eggs? I'd like an omelette.
Interesting Times delivers curated articles about events and trends that lie outside lenders' conventional view of borrower risk. It helps them understand how changes in the global macroeconomy impact their lending and risk mitigation strategies.
Top 5 ways layoffs increase cybersecurity risks
The increasing volume of layoffs is heightening cybersecurity risks across companies and industries. Introducing untrained employees, insider threats, orphaned accounts, and data synchronization gaps, increase security risks and segregation-of-duties conflicts. Automating identity and access governance helps mitigate these threats, ensuring continuous compliance while streamlining provisioning. Nevertheless, without close collaboration between cybersecurity and IT teams, the risk vectors for companies and industries performing layoffs can proliferate quickly.
Read More >>How Trump's regulatory freeze is disrupting the US fishing industry
President Trump's 60-day regulatory freeze disrupted the U.S. fishing industry, delaying key decisions for East Coast cod, haddock, and bluefin tuna fisheries. The freeze stalled NOAA's rulemaking process, causing confusion, potential overfishing, and uncertainty across the $320 billion industry, which relies on federal planning to manage fishing quotas and season timelines. Industry groups and officials expressed concern over how the suddenly reduced government staff will provide administrative support to affected fishermen at the start of an especially uncertain season.
Read More >>Stress Mounts as Everyone Becomes a Tariff Target: Trade Tracker
Bloomberg's February Trade Tracker showed 3 out of 10 key measures of international trade were below normal, the most since May 2024, while 7 were in normal territory. More volatile trade activity and rapid responses from corporations are the new normal as Trump's tariff threats are met with increased protectionism around the world. The European Union is readying retaliation measures, while Canada, Mexico and China are among countries that vowed to protect their industries.
Read More >>NOAA braces for mass layoffs, fueling concerns about lifesaving weather services
U.S. insurers warn that mass layoffs at NOAA and other science agencies could disrupt critical weather and disaster risk data, potentially reducing preparedness and increasing insurance claims. The Reinsurance Association of America is lobbying to preserve NOAA's data collection, including heat, storm and hurricane tracking. Insurers also fear that additional cuts at multiple government agencies will hinder wildfire and extreme weather forecasting, leading to higher damage and losses.
Read More >>
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