The personal consumption expenditures price index gained 0.1% in June and rose 2.5% on a year-over-year basis, according to the Commerce Department. A core measure that excludes the food and energy categories rose 0.2% for the month and 2.6% from the prior year.

Imperial Dade announced plans to acquire Florida-based City Maintenance Supply, a distributor of janitorial and industrial products with locations in Pompano Beach and Fort Meyers. The City Maintenance deal is Imperial Dade's third acquisition in the last two months, and the 90th under its current leadership.

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating how companies use AI and other technological tools to personalize pricing based on individual consumer data. The FTC study aims to uncover the mechanisms behind personalized pricing that rely on data collected about consumers' finances and shopping habits. Subpoenas have been issued to companies such as Mastercard, JPMorgan Chase, McKinsey and Accenture as the agency raises concerns about the opacity of personalized pricing strategies and consumer surveillance.

Global mergers and acquisitions are returning to more sustainable volumes amid decreasing inflation and stable interest rates, with global sell-side deal kickoffs up 17% in the year's first half from a year ago and global buy-side deal kickoffs up 21%, according to Datasite. New laws are driving industrial and manufacturing investments in clean technology and automation, but manufacturers must also navigate challenges like potential regulatory changes and cybersecurity threats, writes Mark Williams, Datasite's chief revenue officer for the Americas.

The Supply Chain Council debuted on Wednesday, stating that it plans to bring together a diverse array of industry stakeholders to focus on resilience and the need to attract additional infrastructure investment. "With a mission to develop and advance the best practices and public policies at the federal, state and local level, the Council will work to ensure the supply chain, which brings the goods and services Americans need, will be protected and resilient in a rapidly changing global environment," said a statement from the trade group, which will be led by CEO Josh Wood and chaired by Prologis Senior Vice President Steven Hussain.

AI has an integral role in preventing the damage done to businesses, individuals and the health of the global economy by detecting counterfeit products flooding the market. Using deep learning models to monitor listings for anomalies such as high return rates can help identify counterfeit products, while prevention measures such as cryptographic codes can prevent further loss.

The top three factors that influence business-to-business marketing planning and budgets are the state of the economy, corporate financial performance and customer demand, according to senior B2B marketers surveyed by the CMO Council and Zeta Global. In addition, respondents said the top barriers to organizational adoption of platforms and tools are data siloes, followed by proving return on investment, while 57% said generative AI tools are most likely to add value.

A growing number of companies are moving from diversity, equity and inclusion practices to a new approach dubbed merit, excellence and intelligence, which shifts the focus in hiring toward merit without consideration of demographics. Backed by high-profile figures in the business world, the shift aims to ensure diversity through meritocratic hiring. Critics argue MEI downplays the necessity of DEI and could perpetuate implicit biases.

Despite a cooling job market, the Great Resignation could return, with nearly 30% of US workers planning to resign by the end of 2024, according to ResumeBuilder.com. The survey finds that Generation Z and Millennials are more likely to quit, driven by the pursuit of higher salaries and dissatisfaction with work conditions.

Attending the Innovators Summit lets you stay updated with the latest industry developments and remain ahead of your competitors. By being aware of emerging trends and disruptive technologies, you can proactively adapt your business strategies, identify new revenue streams, and gain a competitive edge in the market. Learn more here.

In today's competitive labor market, understanding compensation trends is essential. MDM is pleased to present a free webcast discussing detailed findings from NAW's 2024 compensation study. This essential tool offers unparalleled insights into current salary and benefit trends within the wholesale distribution industry. This session will be moderated by MDM Senior Editor Vesna Brajkovic and will feature expert panelists Greg Manns of Industry Insights and Mike Emerson from Indian River Consulting. Learn more here.

The NAW Company Roundtables are an exclusive community of thought leaders from Billion Dollar and Large Company distribution enterprises who congregate to network with non-competing peers in multiple lines of trade on key issues. Learn more about the many Roundtable event opportunities we offer, and how your leaders can get involved. Learn more.