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The cure for hiccups exists: First, exhale completely, then inhale a deep breath. Wait 10 seconds, then – without exhaling – inhale a little more. Wait another five seconds, then top up the breath again. Finally, exhale.

— The Atlantic

Rebounding US dollar a growing headache for investors

Investors reeling from the recent volatility in global financial markets are eyeing another potential worry: a rebounding dollar. The dollar has risen nearly 4 percent from its recent lows and stands near a seven-week high against a basket of other major currencies, driven by bets the Federal Reserve will need to raise rates higher than many investors had previously forecast to cool inflation. (Reuters | Mar 1)

New SEC rules — fund ads must not mislead

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s new advertising rule makes notable changes to investment fund and business development company compliance obligations. The SEC under Chair Gary Gensler has been proposing and adopting new rules at a rapid rate, with investment management a particular focus. (Bloomberg Law | Mar 1)

Senate votes 50-46 to reverse ESG rule for retirement funds

The Senate voted Wednesday to overturn a new Biden administration regulation that would allow retirement-plan managers to consider climate change and other factors when they make investment decisions, setting up what could be President Biden’s first veto. The Senate action, with 50 in favor and 46 against, comes a day after the House voted to toss the regulation on environmental, social and corporate governance guidelines, or ESG, by a vote of 216-204. (The Wall Street Journal | Mar 1)

He’s not kidding: Jerome Powell is very serious about the debt ceiling.

In the worst political showdown over the US debt limit to date, a little-known former Treasury official in 2011 helped convince lawmakers that raising the ceiling was the only option. He’s back at it now, but from a much higher perch: chair of the Federal Reserve. Jerome Powell, a financier who was also then serving at a Washington think-tank, criss-crossed Capitol Hill in 2011 to shoot down alternatives to boosting the debt limit, at a time when a number of Republicans were shrugging off warnings from President Barack Obama’s Treasury Department. (Bloomberg Economics | Feb 28)

Investors brace for surge in market volatility

Fear is creeping back into the stock market. To protect against a potential downturn, traders are scooping up hedges at the fastest clip since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. More call options betting that the Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, will rise have changed hands on an average day in February than at any time since March 2020, Cboe data shows. (The Wall Street Journal | Feb 26)

CFTC picks former cybercrime prosecutor as enforcement chief

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission hired Ian McGinley, a former New York prosecutor, to oversee a team of 120 civil-enforcement attorneys who investigate fraud and misconduct in futures markets tied to energy and agricultural commodities, as well as the newer world of digital assets that qualify as commodities.

— The Wall Street Journal

CISA director calls on tech companies to make products more secure

A top cybersecurity official said in a speech Monday it's long past time for technology companies to build cybersecurity into their product design. "The risk introduced to all of us by unsafe technology is frankly much more dangerous and pervasive than the spy balloon, yet we've somehow allowed ourselves to accept it," Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly said in remarks at Carnegie Mellon University.

— Axios

US unveils new cybersecurity strategy with tighter regulations

The White House on Thursday announced a new cybersecurity strategy in the latest effort by the US government to bolster its cyber defenses amid a steady increase in hacking and digital crimes targeting the country. The strategy, which is intended to guide future policy, urges tighter regulation of existing cybersecurity practices across industries and improved collaboration between the government and private sector.

— Reuters

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How hybrid work is changing offices of the future

Workplaces that look like your living room; flexible, multiuse spaces; outdoor terraces. Today’s new hybrid work styles are reshaping the office buildings of tomorrow. Leading architects and real-estate developers are pioneering concepts aimed at workers who are splitting their time between home and office, and they predict these innovations will become mainstream in the years to come.

— The Wall Street Journal

The inherent flaws of corporate bond ETFs

The investment vehicles present a worrying systemic vulnerability This month, a paper by a quartet of academics from three business schools – Columbia, Chicago Booth and Pennsylvania – set off a row about the niche issue of the market liquidity of the baskets of securities that underpin corporate bond exchange traded funds.

— Financial Times (opinion)

Steve Jobs said your overall happiness in life really comes down to asking 4 simple questions

The co-founder of Apple delivered these words to a newly minted class of Stanford University graduates in 2005. Not long before the commencement, Jobs had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was given between three and six months to live. Facing his own mortality had impressed upon him the importance of living the best possible life, and it was a message he passed on to the new graduates... and the rest of the world watching. 

— Inc.