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Forbes
13-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
This Week's Business Technology News: 'Click To Cancel' Gets Shut Down
Shopping Online. woman hand online shopping on laptop computer with virtual graphic icon diagram on ... More desk, payment online, digital marketing, business finance, internet network technology concept Here are five things in tech that happened this week and how they affect your business. Did you miss them? This Week in Business Tech News Business Technology News #1 – FTC's click-to-cancel rule has been struck down by federal judges at the eleventh hour. A federal appeals court has struck down the Federal Trade Commission's 'click-to-cancel' rule just days before it was set to take effect. The rule – officially known as the Negative Option Rule – would have required companies to make it as easy for consumers to cancel subscriptions as it is to sign up for them. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the rule, citing that the FTC failed to follow proper rulemaking procedures – specifically, it didn't conduct a required preliminary regulatory analysis. Businesses and trade groups challenged the rule, arguing it was rushed and economically burdensome. Companies can now continue using more complex or opaque cancellation processes. (Source: Engadget) Why this is important for your business: Seems like a good thing for small business. The National Federation of Independent Businesses celebrate this decision claiming that the FTC ruling imposed "onerous regulatory obligations" on small businesses. 'The FTC went far beyond their authority in enacting this rule,' said Beth Milito, Vice President and Executive Director of NFIB's Small Business Legal Center said in a press release. 'The NFIB is pleased that the Court recognized the procedural failures that took place in the rulemaking process and prevented this burdensome regulation from inflicting further damage on small businesses.' Business Technology News #2 – Airwallex and BILL team up to optimize SMB payment solutions. Financial platform Airwallex and cloud-based software BILL have partnered to streamline international payments for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), aiming to make cross-border transactions faster, cheaper, and more efficient. (Source: The Paypers) Why this is important for your business: According to the two companies the integration enables same-day or next-day international payments in local currencies, reducing delays and reliance on intermediary banks. Businesses can schedule foreign exchange conversions and payouts, improving control and reconciliation of international transactions. Airwallex's infrastructure allows BILL customers to transact directly with overseas banks, making payments feel local even when they're global. The collaboration is designed to give SMBs the kind of global payment agility that was once only available to large enterprises. Business Technology News #3 – Google upgrades Keyword Planner with localized forecasting. Google has upgraded its Keyword Planner tool to support localized forecasting, offering advertisers more granular insights for campaign planning. The update is currently in an experimental phase – Google has yet to make a formal announcement. (Source: Search Engine Land) Why this is important for your business: According to Google advertisers can access breakdowns by city, region and DMA (Designated Market Area) for keyword forecasts. Device-level insights – mobile, desktop, tablet – are now available. Visual snapshots like pie charts show user connection by location. Localized forecasting helps advertisers optimize budgets and target high-performing areas before launching campaigns. It enables more precise local strategy alignment for multi-location targeting, shifting how marketers approach geographically targeted ad campaigns. Business Technology News #4 – Most managers now rely on AI for hiring and firing, study finds. A new survey by Resume Builder reveals that AI is now deeply embedded in managerial decision-making – especially around hiring, promotions, and even terminations. The results showed that 60 percent of U.S. managers use generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini to make decisions about their direct reports. When making critical decisions, 78 percent use AI to determine raises, 77 percent for promotions, 66 percent for layoffs and 64 percent for terminations. The survey also revealed that 1 in 5 managers feel comfortable with allowing AI to make final decisions without human input. When asked if AI could replace humans – of the 46 percent who were asked – 43 percent did replace a worker with the technology. (Source: Computerworld) Why this is important for your business: While AI can boost efficiency, experts warn that it lacks empathy, context, and can reflect biased or flawed data. Without proper oversight, companies risk legal liability and eroding employee trust, Computerworld's Lucas Mearian writes. Business Technology News #5 – Google Ads adds Zoho CRM integration for customer match and offline conversions. Google Ads has officially integrated Zoho CRM into its Data Manager, unlocking powerful new capabilities for advertisers who rely on Zoho to manage customer relationships. These capabilities include enhanced customer targeting that allows advertisers to upload audience segments directly from Zoho CRM to Google Ads, enabling more precise ad targeting using first-party data. Businesses can import offline sales data – like phone or in-person purchases – into Google Ads to better understand which campaigns drive real-world results. Enhanced conversions for leads offers lead attribution accuracy, helping marketers fine-tune campaigns based on actual lead quality and behavior. (Source: Search Engine Land) Why this is important for your business: This is good news for Zoho users (my company sells and implements this product). This move brings Zoho CRM up to speed with platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot, making it easier for more businesses to activate their data in a privacy-first, post-cookie week I round up five business technology news stories and explain why they're important for your business. If you have any interesting stories, please post to my X account @genemarks
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will There Be A Recession? Some Economists Say It's Inevitable, Others Aren't Convinced
Economists are split on whether President Donald Trump's tariffs will drag down the economy enough to cause a recession. Some see a downturn as a likely possibility as increase costs from tariffs hurt businesses and consumers. Some economists think the economy is strong enough to weather the trade war without a recession, with employment and consumer spending remaining are split on whether President Donald Trump's tariff campaign will push the economy into a recession, with many seeing increased according to the 57 economists who responded to a Wall Street Journal survey in April. The poll showed that, on average, the forecasters predicted a 45% chance of the economy going into a recession in the next 12 months, up from 20% the last time the poll was taken in economic outlook worsened significantly in February when Trump started announcing tariffs against U.S. trading partners. Many forecasters have changed their expectations that the U.S. would experience a "soft landing" from the post-pandemic surge of inflation to bracing for a downturn as the tariffs and other economic headwinds force businesses and households to reduce their spending. One expert laid out the reasons she expects a recession, another why a downturn is unlikely. Among the most pessimistic is Amy Crews Cutts, an independent forecaster, who said she was 99% confident of a recession taking hold within a recent surveys have supported Cutts's expectations that a recession is on the horizon. One was a survey of small business owners by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Over the course of several months, the owners' moods went from elation at Trump's election victory to uncertainty about the impact of tariffs. An index measuring optimism plunged since January.A separate survey of business financial professionals showed that businesses were having a harder time getting paid by clients in recent months, suggesting financial stress building among the companies that keep the economy running. The National Association of Credit Managers' Credit Managers' Index, which Cutts oversees, showed the economy was still expanding in March but at a slower pace than was especially alarmed by remarks managers made in the open comment section of the survey, indicating they had seen an uptick in small businesses simply closing shop without declaring also noted that Trump's on-again, off-again tariff announcements have wreaked havoc on businesses that import goods from overseas, especially because the import taxes have not exempted goods "on the water" or already being shipped, meaning that some businesses could find themselves scrambling to cover unexpected costs. Canceled orders and financial stress could translate into an economic slowdown and job in financial markets could also influence the economy. People whose stock portfolios have suffered are less likely to make purchases, possibly throwing sand into the gears of the main engine of the U.S. economy, consumer spending. Cutts said that damage has been done even if the punishingly high tariffs are eventually negotiated down or called off."Even if I flipped a switch and tomorrow and said, 'Sorry, joke's on me, it all goes away,' it will take us several quarters to unwind the damage that's already happened," she said. "So, for me, that says recession." On the other end of the spectrum is Allen Sinai of Decision Economics, who gives only a 20% chance of a recession in the next 12 months. That's an increase from the 10% chance he saw in January, but still a relatively remote among Sinai's reasons for optimism is the job market, which has stayed consistently resilient ever since bouncing back from the mass layoffs caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns. The unemployment rate was 4.2% in March, not far from historic lows and nowhere near indicating an economic downturn."We're fully employed right now," he said. "The jobs count is fine."Sinai also sees green flags in data about consumer spending, the pillar of the economy, responsible for 68% of the gross domestic product. Retail sales soared in March, recovering from a dip in January and a lukewarm February, although economists attributed some of the surge to people racing to make purchases before tariffs drive up prices.A main point of contention between recession optimists and pessimists is what to make of consumer sentiment data. Consumer surveys show that people have been increasingly worried about inflation, the health of the job market, and their own financial situations in recent months. If people pull back on spending, it could spell trouble for the economy. However, that shoe has yet to drop, and in the meantime, Sinai sees few signs that either the financial system or the job market is buckling."It takes financial trouble in the system to shut off funds or the jobs market caves for one reason or another," he said. Read the original article on Investopedia Sign in to access your portfolio
