Creative Investment Research

📰 Black- and minority-owned businesses are taking a serious hit during the federal government shutdown. According to a new survey by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), operations are being disrupted across the board — contract delays, payment interruptions, mounting borrowing costs — all adding up to projected losses of $400 – 450 million for minority business enterprises. https://lnkd.in/eVKm-7vf 🔍 Key takeaways: Approximately one-third of responding firms reported direct impact within just a few weeks. Contract and payment delays alone account for around $150 million of the loss. Reduced demand for business goods/services, staffing reductions, and higher short-term borrowing costs add further pressures. Some firms are pivoting: shifting to state-level contracts, focusing on private sector work, or restructuring cash-flow strategies. These are not just numbers — they represent entrepreneurs, teams, and communities navigating unprecedented disruption. 💡 Why this matters: Minority business enterprises (MBEs) are an essential part of the broader economic ecosystem — not fringe players. When they struggle, it affects supply chains, employees, local communities, and ultimately the resilience of our economy at large. 🔧 What can business leaders, supporters and ecosystem partners do now? Engage with MBEs proactively: check in on how the shutdown is affecting their contracts, cash-flow, and staffing. Explore partnerships or joint ventures: MBEs may be seeking collaboration or new channels of opportunity. Advocate for stronger access to financing and flexible terms during this period of uncertainty. Consider adjusting sourcing strategies: prioritise inclusive supplier networks to support diversity and resilience. Stay informed about policy and funding developments — because the ripple effects extend beyond federal contracts. 🙏 As a community, we can lean in. It’s not just about surviving the pause — it’s about positioning for recovery and long-term growth together. If you’re involved with or work alongside MBEs: We’d love to hear how you’re navigating this period. What strategies are you seeing work? What challenges remain? Let’s connect and support one another. #MinorityBusiness #DiversityInBusiness #SmallBusinessResilience #EconomicEquity #SupplyChainDiversity

#Inflation Is Accelerating Again — and Black and Minority-Owned Businesses Are Feeling the Squeeze. The September 2026 Consumer Price Index confirms renewed inflationary pressure across the U.S. economy. 📈 Headline #CPI: +0.6% in September; +3.7% year-over-year ⛽ Energy: +5.2% for the month; +20.4% year-over-year ⛽ Gasoline: +9.1% in September 📊 Core inflation: +2.6% year-over-year For Black and minority-owned businesses, these figures mean higher transportation costs, shrinking margins, increased working-capital requirements, and additional pressure on profitability. Combined with higher borrowing costs and slower employment growth, these conditions are creating what Creative Investment Research calls #Trumpsqueeze. https://trumpsqueeze.com/ Our latest analysis highlights three important issues: 1. The national CPI understates the challenges facing many Minority Business Enterprises. A minority-owned trucking company, restaurant, construction contractor, or retailer experiences a very different combination of costs than the average consumer. 2. We need an MBE Inflation Index. Measuring minority-business inflation by industry and geography would provide policymakers, lenders, and corporations with a more accurate understanding of the economic pressures these firms face. 3. MBEs are part of the inflation solution. Expanding minority supplier participation increases competition, diversifies sourcing, reduces concentration risk, and strengthens regional supply chains. Supplier diversity is not simply a diversity initiative. It is an economic competitiveness, supply-chain resilience, and inflation-management strategy. The question is no longer simply how high inflation is. It is how we protect minority-business capacity while building a more competitive and resilient economy. Read the latest analysis from Creative Investment Research at https://lnkd.in/erKQ-k86 #Inflation #CPI #Trumpsqueeze #BlackBusiness #MinorityBusiness #MBE #SupplierDiversity #SupplyChainResilience #SmallBusiness #EconomicPolicy #FederalReserve #EconomicDevelopment #Procurement #ImpactInvesting #MBEsReduceInflation

Today's #FederalReserve meeting is one of the most unpredictable in years. Normally, Fed decisions are heavily telegraphed before they're announced. This time, markets are facing a genuine cliffhanger. While most investors still expect the Federal Reserve to hold interest rates steady, there is a meaningful possibility of the first rate increase in nearly three years. Why? New Federal Reserve Board Chairman Kevin #Warsh may see an opportunity to establish his inflation-fighting credibility early in his tenure. A surprise rate hike would send a strong signal about the Fed's independence and commitment to price stability. (See: https://lnkd.in/gwMPimCu https://lnkd.in/eaEgxryz https://lnkd.in/gdM6TeRt) The challenge is that much of today's inflation appears to be driven by supply-side factors, including geopolitical tensions and volatile energy prices. Higher interest rates cannot produce more oil, resolve conflicts, or repair disrupted supply chains. They can, however, slow investment, hiring, and economic growth. The question facing policymakers is whether demonstrating resolve is worth the potential economic cost. We'll be in Washington today covering the decision and its implications for financial markets, businesses, workers, and minority-owned enterprises. Whatever the outcome, today's announcement could shape both the economic outlook and perceptions of Chairman Warsh's leadership for years to come. See: https://lnkd.in/gAYTsAFE #FOMC #InterestRates #Inflation #MonetaryPolicy #Economics #FinancialMarkets #KevinWarsh #EconomicOutlook #CreativeInvestmentResearch

5th annual General Counsel Summit US Law in the age of systemic risk September 15th 2026 • New York The most challenging #legal decisions are not purely legal. In America, political crosscurrents, shifting enforcement priorities and technological disruption are reshaping legal risk. Policy signals and regulatory hints are increasingly influencing corporate behaviour. #AI, #nationalsecurity concerns and #litigation exposure have risen even higher up the priority list. The fifth edition of the summit will examine what this means for the role of the general counsel. Where are legal boundaries becoming harder to interpret and where does excessive caution begin to distort commercial strategy? When should GCs accept the rules as they are written, challenge their application or help the business act in the grey areas between law, policy and strategy? Join more than 500 legal leaders for a closed-door, Chatham House exchange on what this means in practice. https://lnkd.in/ehG_54aZ

#SCOTUS reaffirmed an essential principle: Federal Reserve Board independence protects the American #economy —not the institution itself. But independence is not immunity from oversight. We've challenged the #Fed for decades when warranted, including our 1998 opposition to the Travelers–Citi merger—warnings history largely vindicated. Accountability and independence are complementary, not contradictory. Read our statement: https://lnkd.in/eYyNGUjq #FederalReserve #Banking #MonetaryPolicy #FinancialStability #Economics

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