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Chief executive compensation at major U.S. companies rose nearly 6% in 2025 to a median of $17.7m, driven by stronger profits, higher stock prices, and large stock-based incentive awards, according to an Associated Press analysis of S&P 500 companies. The report highlighted widening pay gaps between executives and workers, with median employee pay at S&P 500 companies rising 4.7% to $89,744. At many companies, it would take a median worker more than 200 years to earn what the CEO makes in a single year. Tesla CEO Elon Musk received the largest package by far, valued at $132.3bn, entirely through stock awards tied to long-term targets including Tesla’s market value, robotaxi deployment, and humanoid robot development over the next decade. Other large awards included Welltower CEO Shankh Mitra’s $821m package linked to long-term stock performance, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan’s $205m AI-related compensation plan, and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s $165m award tied to the sale of the company to Paramount Skydance. Major bank CEOs also received sizable payouts, including Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon at nearly $119m, and Citigroup’s Jane Fraser at $95.8m. The report noted that modern CEO pay is increasingly dominated by long-term stock incentives rather than salary and bonuses, with boards using equity awards to align executives with shareholder returns and retain leadership talent.

 

Los Angeles Times

Guide: Align FP&A and Cash Forecasting to Navigate Market Uncertainty with Confidence

FX swings, tariff pressure, and tighter capital markets are exposing a structural gap most finance teams already know exist. When FP&A and cash forecasting run on separate tracks, timing suffers, credibility with the board weakens, and capacity gets consumed by reconciliation instead of analysis. This 2026 guide gives finance leaders a practical framework and a 12-question scorecard to close the gap before market shifts force the issue.

Download the Free Guide 

 

Semafor has reported that U.S. antitrust regulators are poised to approve Paramount's $110bn takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery following a two-hour meeting at the Justice Department where staff attorneys ​appeared swayed by arguments from Paramount executives that ⁠the deal would not hurt other studios and creative talent. DOJ antitrust staff members quizzed Paramount CEO David Ellison on whether the combined company would be less inclined to send movies to big screens. Ellison reiterated a commitment to releasing movies in theaters, Semafor reports.

 

Semafor

Krispy Kreme customers affected by a 2024 cyberattack exposing personal and financial data could qualify for payouts of up to $3,500 under a $1.6m class-action settlement. Customers who can provide evidence of fraud, identity theft, or other financial losses linked to the breach may receive the largest payments, while those whose data was compromised but who did not suffer financial harm can claim up to $75. Eligible customers may also receive one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection. Krispy Kreme denied wrongdoing or liability as part of the settlement, but agreed to strengthen its cybersecurity protocols. A final court approval hearing is scheduled for July 6th.

 

Los Angeles Times

Exxon Mobil shareholders have approved the company’s plan to shift its legal incorporation from New Jersey to Texas, despite opposition from major proxy advisory firms that warned the move could weaken shareholder rights. The proposal passed with 71.3% support at Exxon’s annual meeting. Although Exxon has been headquartered in Texas since 1989, the company said relocating its legal domicile to the state better aligns with its operations and business environment. The move comes as several major companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and Coinbase, have also relocated to Texas following legal changes that strengthened protections for corporations, including measures limiting shareholder litigation through ownership thresholds for lawsuits. Proxy advisers Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services had recommended voting against the proposal, arguing it could reduce investor protections. 

 

Financial Times

Reuters

More than 30 former federal judges have urged a federal court in Florida to investigate whether the Trump administration’s $1.8bn settlement agreement tied to President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS amounted to “a fraud on the court.” The judges asked U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to reopen the case after Trump’s legal team withdrew the lawsuit earlier this month. The lawsuit accused the IRS of mishandling and leaking Trump’s tax information. Separately, the Justice Department announced the creation of a billion-dollar “anti-weaponization” fund to resolve the dispute, although the settlement details were not presented to the court. In their filing, the former judges argued that the agreement raises serious concerns about transparency and whether the court was misled, particularly because Trump appeared to control both sides of the dispute. They said the judge has the authority to review the dismissal under “extraordinary circumstances.” Judge Williams had already raised questions about whether the case met the legal standard of a genuine adversarial dispute before it was dismissed.

 

Bloomberg

CNBC

The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have launched an investigation into Fifa’s ticketing practices around the 2026 World Cup. They have sent subpoenas to soccer’s global governing body following reports that ticket releases may have contributed to “soaring prices” and after complaints that fans may have been misled about the locations of seats they were purchasing. “No one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive,” New York attorney general Letitia James said. The investigation focuses specifically on the matches due to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

 

Financial Times

ESPN

The Guardian

Lululemon has reached a settlement with founder Chip Wilson that will allow him to appoint two new directors to the company’s board in exchange for an 18-month standstill and non-disparagement agreement, ending a prolonged governance dispute. The athletic apparel group will also appoint a third director with apparel product and brand expertise by October 2026, subject to Mr Wilson’s approval. The agreement follows months of public criticism from Wilson, who argued the company had lost its edge and was falling behind newer rivals such as Alo Yoga, Vuori, and Beyond Yoga. Mr Wilson, who owns 8.7% of the company, had launched a proxy fight in December seeking board changes after raising concerns over strategy, product quality and weakening U.S. sales. As part of the settlement, Lululemon also agreed to support annual elections for all directors from 2028 onwards, replacing the current staggered board structure. 

 

CNN

CNBC

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee warned that the U.S. economy risks moving into a “stagflationary” environment, as persistent inflation, rising energy costs linked to the Middle East conflict, and slowing growth create a difficult backdrop for policymakers. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Goolsbee said the combination of stubborn inflation and potential increases in unemployment represents one of the most challenging scenarios for central banks, because neither raising nor cutting interest rates fully addresses the problem. He said inflation pressures had already remained elevated before the latest energy shock, with services inflation continuing to rise independently of tariffs or oil prices. Mr. Goolsbee defended his earlier opposition to a Federal Reserve rate cut, arguing inflation has proved more persistent than expected. He added that incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh appeared “level-headed and quite reasonable,” suggesting confidence in his ability to navigate political and economic pressures if confirmed to lead the central bank.

 

Wall Street Journal

Meta Platforms has begun rolling out paid subscription plans for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, while also testing premium tiers for its Meta AI chatbot, as the company looks to offset the rising costs of its artificial intelligence expansion. Facebook Plus and Instagram Plus will cost $3.99 per month, while WhatsApp Plus will be priced at $2.99. Meta AI subscriptions will range from $7.99 per month for a basic tier to $19.99 for a premium offering with higher usage limits and enhanced image and video generation capabilities. The move comes as Meta increases spending on AI infrastructure, including data centers and chips, with capital expenditure expected to reach up to $145bn this year. The company recently cut 10% of its workforce partly to help fund AI investment. Meta said the subscriptions will offer enhanced features for users, creators and businesses, while Meta AI will remain available as a free service. 

 

TechCrunch

Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal

Project Agorá, a blockchain-based prototype system which aims to let banks transfer funds across borders by tokenising their deposits, has been successfully tested. “This prototype and its successful testing lay the groundwork for next-generation solutions,” the Bank for International Settlements and the International Institute of Finance, which spearheaded the initiative, said. The project “preserves correspondent banking as the backbone of global payments while applying new technology to enhance its performance”, and also “demonstrates that a shared distributed ledger technology platform can support safe settlement in a tokenised environment and address longstanding challenges in wholesale cross-border payments.”

 

Capital Pioneer

Cryptopolitan

Financial Times

The European Union (EU) is preparing to expand the use of import quotas and tariffs against Chinese goods as Brussels seeks to protect key industries from what industry commissioner Stéphane Séjourné described as an “existential” threat from unfair competition. The measures would apply more broadly across sectors such as chemicals, metals and clean technology, rather than targeting individual companies or products. Séjourné said the bloc intends to use safeguard mechanisms more systematically to counter surging imports and state-backed overcapacity from China, with the EU’s trade deficit with China now reaching €1bn a day. Proposed measures include wider use of quotas and tariffs, as well as new tools aimed at forcing companies to diversify supply chains where imports are overly concentrated. The proposals are due to be discussed by EU commissioners at a special China-focused meeting on Friday.

 

EU Today

Financial Times

Reuters