US corporations are concerned about ongoing price pressures despite Federal Reserve interest rate hikes aimed at controlling inflation. A Bloomberg study of earnings call transcripts reveals that sentiment among corporate managers regarding inflation is at its lowest since early 2021, with growing anxiety about how rising labor costs will affect profit margins.

Retail sales excluding autos and gas fell 0.08% last month, and core retail sales excluding restaurants dropped 0.03%, as consumers held back in anticipation of the upcoming holiday shopping season, according to a gauge of credit and debit card spending under a new collaboration between National Retail Federation and CNBC, with data from Affinity Solutions. "The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor will modernize how retail sales are tracked and measured, and Affinity Solutions' vast dataset of how, what and where the consumer is spending will identify how key demographics and channels are performing for the industry generally and for specific retail sectors," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.

Declining demand is forcing leading container shippers to reduce fees for shippers, cut costs and individual voyages, suspend some services and diversify as they shift from record-setting profits to struggling to break even. Container shippers are also grappling with double-digit increases in costs for traversing the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal and required investments to decarbonize.

As companies work to follow the Paris Agreement on sustainability, it's become clear that reducing carbon and packaging footprints is the key area to focus on. To help this process, Pallavi Chaudhuri, director of procurement services at Perfetti van Melle suggests having supply chain visibility to track progress in hitting the outlined goals.

Better food traceability provides benefits to both businesses and consumers, including protecting customers, reducing the risk of foodborne illness and improving efficiency, writes Jim Hansen of supply chain technology company Advantive. Traceability can seem intimidating to implement, but utilizing a centralized quality hub to manage data, employing real-time statistical process control and using a cloud-based system can help food businesses maximize efficiency and reduce expenses, Hansen writes.

Most companies have the resources to build a sound cybersecurity strategy, even as AI feeds the threat landscape, writes iomart's Matt Dowson. Dowson argues that cloud use and automated threat monitoring are essential, as is employee training.

Consumers want to align their spending and their values, says Avenue CEO Anna Madill, and social media is letting them drive the market by creating and spreading trends. Madill says it's important that brands in 2024 get involved in consumer conversations and truly act on statements about social justice, workplace ethics and environmental protection.

As business-to-business sales budgets tighten, "marketing measurement has never been more important," says Full Circle Insights CEO Bonnie Crater. Crater provides insights on marketing attribution implementation and measurement, differentiates between funnel and attention metrics and explains how marketing attribution is about determining marketing's effects on revenue and pipeline.

In a further example of the divided forecast for the Federal Reserve's rate policy, Morgan Stanley has predicted significant Federal Reserve rate cuts starting in mid-2024 due to cooling inflation, while Goldman Sachs foresees fewer and later reductions, aligning more closely with the Fed's own projections. The differing outlooks reflect varying assessments of economic strength, with Morgan Stanley anticipating a weaker US economy requiring more aggressive easing, and Goldman Sachs expecting sustained higher rates due to a stronger economic landscape.

CEOs are moving full speed ahead on AI, even if they have to divert funds from other projects or even borrow it, reports Andrea Guerzoni of accounting/consulting giant EY, which conducts a quarterly survey of 1,200 global chief executives. But there's a caveat: "While CEOs are identifying and assessing the efficiency gains AI offers, the top-line growth opportunities are much more complicated," Guerzoni said, adding that the growth from AI is "a longer-term goal."

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Experience three days of excellent networking opportunities, cutting-edge content, and educational programming for leaders in the wholesale-distribution industry at NAW's Exective Summit Jan. 30 - Feb. 1. Hear from world-class speakers and explore issues critical to the industry. Be prepared for what's next and learn new strategies to get there first. View agenda and registration information here.