Thursday is where the week’s real story comes into focus.

While Monday sets the tone, Thursday reveals the underlying trends — the leadership decisions, market movements, and strategic shifts that signal where industries are heading next. This edition distills those developments into clear, actionable insight for senior leaders, board members, and anyone responsible for shaping strategy in a volatile environment.

Our purpose is simple: deliver clarity, signal, and forward-looking perspective — so you can finish the week with sharper judgment and stronger strategic footing.

This week was characterized by a surge of activity in the Technology and Energy sectors, driven by major AI-related announcements and significant volatility in global oil markets. The Industry Activity Index reflects this, with Technology scoring a high of 91, fueled by strong earnings from cloud and semiconductor players and a landmark R&D partnership between Applied Materials and SK hynix. The Energy & Utilities sector followed closely with a score of 88, as geopolitical tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz pushed Brent crude to its highest levels since 2023 before a slight retreat.

Meanwhile, the financial markets are closely watching the Federal Reserve, which is widely expected to hold interest rates steady in its upcoming March meeting amidst persistent, albeit moderating, inflation. The Retail & Consumer Goods sector showed continued resilience with a fifth consecutive month of sales growth, though underlying consumer caution persists. In contrast, the Manufacturing sector faced headwinds, highlighted by significant layoffs at SK Battery America due to slowing EV demand.

Are you tired of hunting down data, fixing errors, and manually updating disconnected spreadsheets?

Tax reporting isn’t a simple as it used to be. You need real-time, flexible reporting so you can confidently make decisions backed by accurate, centralized data.

Learn how bringing all your tax information into one central system automates repetitive tasks, improves scenario planning, and frees your team to focus on strategy instead of data entry.

Whether you operate in one country or dozens, Longview Tax scales with you—reducing risk, speeding up your close process, and helping you optimize tax policies across all jurisdictions.

Download the paper

The financial sector navigated a week of cautious optimism and strategic recalibration. The dominant narrative centered on the Federal Reserve's anticipated decision to maintain current interest rates at its March meeting. With annualized inflation at 2.4% in January, the figure remains above the Fed's 2% target, justifying a continued stable rate environment. This sentiment was echoed by Fed officials and bond traders, with some analysts now seeing an increasing chance of no rate cuts in 2026, a departure from earlier, more dovish expectations.

In banking, Standard Bank provided a bright spot, reporting an 11% increase in annual earnings on March 12, driven by strong fee and trading growth. Its insurance and asset management division was a standout performer, with headline earnings growing by 26% to 4.1 billion rand. This result offers a signal of resilience within a sector facing a complex macroeconomic backdrop.

The insurance market is buzzing with M&A activity. Canadian insurer iA Financial Corp. is actively pursuing a multi-billion dollar acquisition in the U.S., while Allianz and Sun Life are reportedly considering bids for HSBC's Singapore insurance business. This points to ongoing consolidation and strategic repositioning as firms seek to capture growth in new markets.

AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.

Yours doesn't have to be one of them.

Here's how to future-proof your career:

Start learning AI now

The technology sector was the most active this week, dominated by major developments in artificial intelligence and strong financial results from key players. The week's top story involved a significant clash between Big Tech and government, as the Pentagon labeled AI firm Anthropic a supply-chain risk on March 5. This unprecedented move against a domestic company came after Anthropic's CEO refused to allow its AI to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons. In contrast, OpenAI secured a deal with the Department of Defense, highlighting the growing and complex relationship between the AI industry and national security.

Semiconductor and cloud computing firms delivered impressive results. Marvell Technology shares surged nearly 11% after it forecasted strong multi-year demand for its custom AI chips, reporting Q4 revenue of $2.22 billion, a 22% year-over-year increase. Oracle also beat Wall Street estimates, with its Q3 cloud infrastructure revenue soaring by an astounding 84%. These figures underscore the immense capital flowing into the hardware and infrastructure that powers the AI revolution.

Further cementing this trend, Applied Materials and SK hynix announced a landmark $5 billion long-term R&D partnership to accelerate the development of next-generation AI memory. This strategic alliance aims to address the voracious demand for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) driven by complex AI workloads.

This guide from Deel breaks down how to build one global hiring system. You’ll learn about assessment frameworks that scale, how to do headcount planning across regions, and even intake processes that work everywhere. As HR pros know, hiring in one country is hard enough. So let this free global hiring guide give you the tools you need to avoid global hiring headaches.

Download the free guide today

The manufacturing sector presented a mixed picture this week, with signs of underlying growth tempered by significant challenges in the electric vehicle supply chain. The most notable event was the layoff of 958 employees—37% of its workforce—by SK Battery America at its plant in Commerce, Georgia, on March 7. The company cited slowing EV demand and the discontinuation of certain EV tax credits as primary reasons for the job cuts. This move reflects a broader recalibration within the auto industry as manufacturers adjust to a more moderate pace of EV adoption than initially projected.

Despite this, the broader manufacturing outlook contains positive signals. The March 2026 "State of the Industry Report" from FreightWaves and Ryder identified "sharp green shoots" of growth, particularly in flatbed trucking activity, which often serves as a leading indicator for industrial production. However, the report also highlighted persistent supply chain vulnerabilities and the uncertain impact of recent tariff rulings.

The Retail & Consumer Goods sector posted another month of steady growth, though a closer look reveals a cautious and discerning consumer. U.S. retail sales grew for the fifth consecutive month in February, with total sales for the first two months of 2026 up a strong 6.04% year-over-year. The e-commerce channel was particularly robust, with nonstore retailers seeing sales climb 10.9%.

This growth is occurring despite significant consumer anxiety. Nearly half of consumers express concern about the economy, and many are experiencing "price fatigue" from sustained inflation. This has led to a clear shift in spending, with many cutting back on non-essential items. Nonetheless, the consumer appears resilient, supported by a 15% rise in disposable personal income over the past five years and a 3.2% year-over-year increase in credit and debit card spending per household in February—the highest rate since January 2023.

In corporate news, Tapestry, the parent company of Coach, demonstrated the power of a strong brand, reporting a 25% year-over-year revenue increase to $2.14 billion for its fiscal second quarter. This performance contrasts with the challenges faced by China's JD.com, which missed revenue estimates due to intense competition and waning government subsidies.

The Energy sector was dominated by soaring oil prices driven by escalating geopolitical tensions. The vulnerability of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for 20-25% of global seaborne oil trade, became a focal point of market anxiety. On March 5, U.S. crude prices spiked to $79.18 per barrel, while Brent crude jumped 8.5% to settle at $92.69, its highest level since 2023. Goldman Sachs analysts now forecast oil could reach $100 per barrel if the conflict in the region widens.

In response, the International Energy Agency (IEA) initiated the largest coordinated emergency release of strategic reserves in its history, deploying 400 million barrels. However, this measure can only partially mitigate a major disruption, highlighting the precarious state of global energy security.

Meanwhile, the utilities sector is grappling with its own price pressures. Electricity prices are rising at an annual rate of 6-8%, nearly double the general rate of inflation. This is attributed to a growing imbalance between supply and demand, exacerbated by the power-hungry needs of AI data centers and extreme weather events. As a result, utilities are passing costs on to consumers, with some facing winter power bills exceeding $1,000.

The Media & Telecom landscape was reshaped this week by a blockbuster acquisition. After a heated bidding war, Paramount Skydance emerged as the victor in the quest for Warner Bros. Discovery. Paramount's winning bid of $31 per share values the deal at a staggering $110.9 billion, forcing Netflix to withdraw and collect a $2.8 billion breakup fee. This monumental consolidation will have far-reaching implications for content production and the streaming wars.

Global content investment is projected to hit $255 billion in 2026, as major streaming platforms continue to pour capital into original programming. This spending spree is attracting increased regulatory scrutiny. The FCC is reviewing the shift of live sports to subscription services, while the UK and Germany are moving to regulate streaming platforms to align them with traditional broadcasters and promote local content.

In a significant ruling for the creative industries, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case on whether AI-generated art can be copyrighted. This decision upholds the current stance that a human author is required for copyright protection, providing a degree of clarity on the legal status of AI-created content.

The Professional & Business Services sector showed strong momentum, driven by robust financial performance and accelerating M&A activity. Engineering services firm Bowman Consulting Group reported record revenue for 2025, with gross contract revenue climbing 14.9% to $490.0 million. The company raised its 2026 guidance and announced that its founder and CEO, Gary Bowman, plans to retire, initiating a search for his successor.

The broader commercial services segment remains a hotbed for M&A, with high investor interest fueled by attractive fundamentals and opportunities for consolidation. The B2B technology market is also poised for growth, with a forecast of 3% expansion in 2026 following a positive close to 2025.

CEOs In The News is published weekly for an audience earning $300K to $10MM. It’s intended for educational use to empower executives for the ongoing week. For executive search inquiries, executive branding needs, board advisory services, or newsletter feedback, contact our editorial team. The opinions in this newsletter are not that of its sponsors.

Need Executive Branding? Click here.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Advertise with us.