Member News, News

Trepp | Chief Economist’s Weekly Watch: Jobs Data, Beige Book, & Consumer Credit

Last week, core Personal Consumption Expenditure inflation ticked up again, while higher energy costs added pressure to headline inflation. The reading comes in Kevin Warsh's first weeks as Fed chair, with a softer labor market and firm inflation pulling the policy outlook in opposite directions. Here are three things to watch for this week. The Jobs Data The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey on Tuesday and the May employment report on Friday give the week's read on a low-hire, low-fire...

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Member News, News

Barquet Stege | Important Immigration Update: New USCIS Policy on Adjustment of Status

USCIS has announced a new policy that may make Adjustment of Status cases more difficult. Adjustment of Status is the process that allows certain individuals already in the United States to apply for a green card without leaving the country for consular processing. Under the new guidance, USCIS is treating Adjustment of Status as an extraordinary discretionary benefit. This means officers may take a closer look at whether an applicant should be allowed to complete the green card process from...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

OECD | G20 Merchandise Trade Rose Sharply in Q1 2026 While Trade in Services Expanded Modestly

Despite disruptions to trade related to the current crisis in the Middle East, G20 merchandise trade expanded strongly in Q1 2026. Measured in current US dollars, both exports and imports increased by 5.3% quarter-on-quarter compared with Q4 2025, driven partly by trade of semiconductors and other high-tech products in East Asia. Preliminary estimates indicate that G20 trade in services1 expanded modestly, with exports rising by 1.7% and imports by 1.5% (Figures 1 and 3). In North America, merchandise trade exports from...

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Chapter News, News

ECB | Geopolitical Risk and Scarring Effects on Consumer Expectations: Insights From the Wars in Ukraine and Iran

Blog | Geopolitical shocks influence consumer expectations about inflation and growth. This blog explores how the wars in Ukraine and Iran affect the way households think about the economy and shows how the scars of past experiences amplify reactions to subsequent geopolitical conflicts. Recent movements in euro area consumers’ inflation and growth expectations show that geopolitical shocks influence households’ economic beliefs. Drawing on the ECB’s Consumer Expectations Survey (CES), this blog post compares households’ reactions to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine with...

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Member News, News

Foley Hoag | Litigating Trade Secret Claims Focused on Generative AI

AI systems pose distinct challenges for pleading and responding to trade secret misappropriation claims. Their models and code are complex, adaptive, and often opaque. Courts, however, increasingly require plaintiffs to identify secrets with specificity to survive motions to dismiss. Industry participants need to clearly understand where the lines are drawn to avoid, assert, and respond to claims related to AI trade secret theft. AI trade secret allegations have begun to play a role in commercial trade secret disputes. In AlphaSense v....

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Member News, News

RPJ | Neurodivergence in the Workplace: A Growing Reality for Employers

Recently, I spoke to a friend of mine who serves as in-house employment counsel for a research facility. As in-house counsel, attorneys have to weigh overall company interests against human resource (HR) considerations, along with potential legal risks.  However, a shift in the understanding and perception of “neurodiversity” has brought another consideration to the forefront. Like my friend’s employer, HR departments across the country are now being called to evaluate their internal functions to determine whether they are equipped...

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Chapter News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Eurostat | Euro Area International Trade in Goods Surplus €7.8 bn

Euro area The first estimates of euro area balance showed a €7.8 bn surplus in trade in goods with the rest of the world in March 2026, compared with +€34.1 bn in March 2025. The euro area exports of goods to the rest of the world in March 2026 were €265.3 billion, a decrease of 5.5% compared with March 2025 (€280.6 bn). Imports from the rest of the world stood at €257.4 bn, a rise of 4.4% compared with March 2025 (€246.5 bn). In March 2026, the euro...

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Member News, News, Trade & TTIP Related

Tradewind Finance | Non-Recourse vs Recourse Factoring: What Exporters Need to Know

Exporters selling internationally often face a difficult balance: offering competitive payment terms while protecting their business from non-payment risk. Factoring helps solve the cash flow challenge by advancing funds against unpaid invoices. However, exporters must choose between recourse factoring and non-recourse factoring. Understanding the difference is essential for managing financial risk in global trade. In a recourse factoring arrangement, the exporter remains responsible if the buyer fails to pay the invoice. Here is how it works: The exporter ships goods and issues an invoice. The factor advances...

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Member News, News

Loyens & Loeff | Tax at the Heart of EU Policymaking – Simplification, Digital Taxation and Financing EU Ambitions

While tax may not always sit at the forefront of public EU policymaking debates, developments over the past year point to a clear conclusion: 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for EU tax policy, with implications that extend well beyond technical tax compliance. Ongoing discussions on simplification, the taxation of the digital economy and the financing of EU ambitions place taxation firmly at the intersection of policy design, competitiveness and fiscal stability. For companies operating across the...

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Chapter News, News

IMF | Industrial Policy Is Adapting to Crises, but Remains Hard to Implement Effectively

Blog | As governments intervene more, evidence shows that the benefits are modest and depend on thoughtful design. Industrial policy, the use of government interventions to support or develop specific firms and industries, has grown more popular in recent years—especially in response to crises. The war in the Middle East is the latest example, with high energy prices and geopolitical upheaval prompting action. In addition to economy-wide support measures, such as fuel price caps and reduced excise duties, at least 305...

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