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Women in recent years have expanded their participation in the global workforce beyond pre-pandemic levels but, based on the current rate of progress, will probably not reach gender parity with men for 134 years, JPMorganChase said in a study. While women are achieving homeownership at more than twice the rate of men, employed women in the U.S. last year earned only 83 cents for every dollar men earned, JPMorgan Chase said, citing Payscale data that does not account for such factors as job, experience or education. “The persistent gender pay gap is a stark reminder of the systemic inequalities that still exist and the need for ongoing efforts to achieve pay equity,” JPMorgan Chase said. #JPMorgan #DEI https://lnkd.in/gZPQseEF

Photoshop and Acrobat maker Adobe’s total revenues jumped to $5.7 billion during its most recent quarter ended Feb. 28, a 10% year-over-year increase, the company reported Wednesday, giving much of the credit to recent artificial intelligence investments. The company’s annual recurring revenue for AI standalone and add-on products such as Acrobat AI Assistant was $125 million at the end of quarter, with that figure projected to double in the next nine months, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said during a Wednesday earnings call. “If you don’t take advantage of AI, it is a disruption,” he said. “In our particular case, the intent is clearly to show how it’s a tailwind.” #AI #BigTech https://lnkd.in/g8rC8zHV

Move over bitcoin: stablecoins are having a moment as U.S. lawmakers wrangle over legislation and the Trump administration, according to comments last week by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, aims to use the digital assets  to ensure the dollar remains the world’s reserve currency. This month, stablecoins are also getting attention from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), one of the accounting industry’s biggest trade organizations, which has published reporting guidance and criteria intended to bring more transparency and standardization to issuer reports on “fiat-backed” stablecoins. #accounting #crypto https://lnkd.in/gQm9cbBq

As businesses look to weather ongoing economic headwinds, it’s essential they have a clear view of how critical initiatives, such as marketing campaigns, ad spend, and other key investments are progressing. That requires transparent conversation between executives such as the CFO and chief marketing officer — but often, those executives may be watching different metrics, said InMarket CEO Todd Morris. “CFOs have all these measures that matter [to them], and unfortunately, marketers don’t always have an aligned sense of what those same metrics are for them,” Morris said in an interview. For example, a CMO could be evaluated or rewarded based on metrics such as social media clicks or follows; “all these other metrics that, frankly, just don’t translate to how a CFO thinks about investments and return on investments,” he said. #CFO #marketing https://lnkd.in/ggM-zPkw

Utah has joined Virginia and Ohio in passing legislation providing a route to CPA licensure that doesn’t require 150 hours of college credit: The Utah state legislature unanimously passed legislation providing an alternative path to becoming a certified public accountant that doesn’t require 150 hours of college credit hours, which is effectively a fifth year of college, according to a Friday press release from the Utah Association of CPAs. The new legislation allows accountants seeking a license in Utah to qualify by attaining a bachelor’s degree, completing two years of professional experience and passing the CPA exam, according to the release. The legislation removes “outdated statutory references to 150 and 120 credit-hour requirements,” the release said, noting that the bill is scheduled to be signed by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and expected to go into effect July 1, 2026. #accounting #CPA https://lnkd.in/gUrgJMAT

Inflation last month rose less than expected, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Wednesday, amid concerns that a mounting trade war with the EU and Canada will push up price pressures and slow economic growth. After gaining 0.4% in January, the core consumer price index excluding volatile food and energy prices increased 0.2% in February, fueled largely by a 0.3% rise in shelter costs and 0.9% increase in used cars and trucks.  A 0.8% decline in transportation services, including airline fares, helped reduce core CPI to an annual rate of 3.1%, the lowest level since 2021.“This CPI number is encouraging but does not factor in the new round of tariffs,” Scott Helfstein, head of investment strategy at asset manager Global X, said in an email. “That might begin showing up next month, but the lag could be longer.” #inflation #prices https://lnkd.in/gE9ZS2QS

Most CFOs responding to a recent Gartner poll said they expect much of the financial cost from various Trump administration tariffs on imported goods to be passed on to consumers. Nearly six out of 10 finance chiefs said they expect their organizations to absorb less than 10% of tariff impact in their cost-base, according to the research. Only 16% of survey respondents anticipated an absorption rate above 50%. Gartner polled 192 finance leaders from a cross-industry group of organizations with global operations. #tariffs #pricing https://lnkd.in/gZnYnX5x

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) censured nine firms across Big Four accounting company KPMG’s global network for violations, including failing to accurately disclose who performed audits, and collectively fined the firms $3.37 million, according to a Tuesday press release. The audit watchdog found that each of the nine firms failed to disclose participation of other accounting firms in firm audits, including “among others, component auditors, shared service centers, and critical audit matter hubs,” according to the announcement. “These disclosures are particularly significant in multi-country audits, where it is even more likely that multiple parties worked on an audit,” the PCAOB said. #audit #accounting https://lnkd.in/gaiKVQS5

Optimism among owners of small businesses sagged last month, with the percentage of owners saying now is a good time to expand business falling to 12% in the worst slump since the early days of the pandemic in April 2020, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) found in a survey. “The economy is still growing, but at a slower and slower rate — storm clouds are forming,” the NFIB said. #SMBs #smallbusiness #inflation #interestrates https://lnkd.in/e_d9Zn_5