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Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet. FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted. The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice. Editors’ Picks EUR/USD turns positive, approaches 1.1700 EUR/USD now manages to regain balance and approaches the 1.1700 barrier as the US Dollar appears under sudden downside pressure. The pair, in the meantime, reverses initial losses as investors continue to assess the latest US PCE data and factor in expectations of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its September 17 meeting. GBP/USD bounces off two-day lows, focus back to 1.3500 GBP/USD comes under renewed downside pressure at the end of the week, navigating the 1.3470 region against the backdrop of a modest resurgence of the buying interest in the Greenback. US inflation tracked by the PCE matched consensus in July, opening the door to a rate reduction by the Fed next month. Gold approaches four-month highs near $3,450 Gold keeps its march north well and sound, up for the fourth day in a row on Friday, and challenging multi-month peaks near the $3,450 mark per troy ounce on the back of steady bets for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve in September. The likelihood of further easing by the Fed appears propped up by the eaerlier release of US inflation data, this time measured by the PCE. All eyes on NFP report as Fed rate cut bets intensify Will August jobs report shock again? It’s almost one month ago that the July payrolls numbers generated not just considerable volatility in the markets but also a lot of controversy, as it offended President Trump’s record on the economy. Best Brokers for EUR/USD Trading SPONSORED Discover the top brokers for trading EUR/USD in 2025. Our list features brokers with competitive spreads, fast execution, and powerful platforms. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, find the right partner to navigate the dynamic Forex market. Read More

Marvell Technology dumps over 16% after Q2 earnings. Marvell missed Q2 revenue projections, but Wall Street is more concerned with Q3 outlook. Michigan Consumer Sentiment and Expectations miss forecasts. As Wall Street cuts price targets, MRVL could sink back to $48. Marvell Technology (MRVL) had a solid quarter. But you wouldn’t know that from the over 16% drop in its share price on Friday. The 30-year-old semiconductor company, valued for its AI system-on-a-chip (SoC) integrated circuits used in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.67, in-line with Wall Street consensus, and revenue of $2.01 billion that rose more than 57% from a year earlier. But the fact that revenue missed the Street’s heady estimates by $10 million and Q3 guidance left a lot to be desired led traders to call it yet another sign that the AI rally is slowing down. Wednesday’s Nvidia earnings also offered a miss on data center revenues, pushing that leading AI company’s shares down 3% at the time of writing. On Friday, Alibaba (BABA) added insult to injury by announcing that it had developed an AI inference chip to compete with Nvidia’s H20 GPU, which Chinese authorities view as an inferior product to the H200 chip that Washington has barred from export to China. BABA stock surged more than 13% on the news. Though core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) for July came in-line with expectations, meaning the Federal Reserve (Fed) is now considered more likely to cut interest rates in September, the market chose to focus on the poor results from the University of Michigan’s Consumer Expectations and Consumer Sentiment indices instead. The NASDAQ Composite slumped some 1.2% by the afternoon, and the S&P 500 has slid 0.7%. Many observers are pointing to a large quantity of insiders taking money off the table: @Malone_Wealth post on X.com from August 29, 2025 Marvell Technology earnings bode poorly for September “Lumpiness” was the word that analysts used to describe Marvell’s business prospects for the second half of the year. Bank of America Securities analyst Vivek Arya said that “the same level of confidence/visibility” on Marvell’s AI guidance was no where in sight. The company guided for a midpoint of $2.06 billion in Q3 revenue, while Wall Street was expecting $2.1 billion. As a result, Arya cut his 2026 data center growth estimate to mid-teens on an annual basis from his 23-25% prior view. Bank of America cut its price target from $90 to $78, which is still well above the $64 level that the stock is garnering on Friday. Needham analyst N. Quinn Bolton said that Marvell’s custom chips designed for Microsoft (MSFT) and Amazon (AMZN) might be pushed to Q4, meaning that Q3 could see a quarterly 15% decline from Q2 in custom silicon. Data center revenue grew 3.5% QoQ compared with the 5% run a quarter ago and the 25% clip witnessed three quarters earlier. While Marvell is projecting $0.74 in adjusted EPS for Q3, analysts don’t think it’s much of a jump from the $0.73 consensus figure. Basically, Marvell is continuing to see a measurable expansion of its business, but this is just not enough growth compared with what the market desires. Marvell Technology stock forecast Marvel stock shot below both the 50-day and 100-day Simple Moving Averages (SMAs) on Friday. This is a poor sign heading into September, which has historically been a lackluster month for market gains. The 200-day SMA was already a notable overhang on the stock, sitting as it was above $83, owing to the January all-time high above $127. Traders will now look to the 161.8% reverse Fibo Retracement at $58.20 for support. A break there would likely send MRVL down to its April support structure circa $48. Bulls now have the difficult task of pushing Marvell stock above the 50-day, now trading in the $74s, in order to put an end to this bearish picture. MRVL daily stock chart Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet. FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted. The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice. Read More

AUD/USD gained ground for a fourth straight session on Friday. The Aussie is gaining ground on a slumping US Dollar as Fed rate cut hopes remain. Markets largely shrugged off another uptick in US PCE inflation. AUD/USD caught a late-week lift on Friday, rising into the 0.6550 region after the latest US inflation data pushed the US Dollar (USD) lower across the board. The Australian Dollar (AUD) stepped into its fourth straight winning session against the Greenback, putting AUD/USD on a collision course with the top end of a technical range that has kept the pair constrained through most of the year. US inflation pressures continue to rise US Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) inflation rose again through the year ended in June, bringing core PCE to 2.9% YoY, marking a third straight month that key US inflation metrics have moved further away from, or at least failed to make any progress towards, the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) desired inflation target of 2%. Despite fresh inflation pressures cooking away in the background, market bets for a Fed rate cut in September are still riding high, with rate traders pricing in nearly 90% odds of a rate trim on September 17. The latest round of US employment figures, due late next week, could be the final paving stone on the road to a Fed rate cut next month. AUD/USD price forecast The Aussie’s latest technical recovery has seen AUD/USD climb a little over 2% bottom-to-top from its last swing low into 0.6415, gaining ground for five of the last seven straight sessions. Despite a firmly bullish performance in the near-term, the pair is still trapped in the middle of a long-run consolidation pattern between 0.6400 and 0.6600. Lacking any meaningful shifts in long-term sentiment, AUD/USD should be expected to continue cycling the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA) near 0.6480 for the foreseeable future. AUD/USD daily chart Australian Dollar FAQs One of the most significant factors for the Australian Dollar (AUD) is the level of interest rates set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Because Australia is a resource-rich country another key driver is the price of its biggest export, Iron Ore. The health of the Chinese economy, its largest trading partner, is a factor, as well as inflation in Australia, its growth rate and Trade Balance. Market sentiment – whether investors are taking on more risky assets (risk-on) or seeking safe-havens (risk-off) – is also a factor, with risk-on positive for AUD. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) influences the Australian Dollar (AUD) by setting the level of interest rates that Australian banks can lend to each other. This influences the level of interest rates in the economy as a whole. The main goal of the RBA is to maintain a stable inflation rate of 2-3% by adjusting interest rates up or down. Relatively high interest rates compared to other major central banks support the AUD, and the opposite for relatively low. The RBA can also use quantitative easing and tightening to influence credit conditions, with the former AUD-negative and the latter AUD-positive. China is Australia’s largest trading partner so the health of the Chinese economy is a major influence on the value of the Australian Dollar (AUD). When the Chinese economy is doing well it purchases more raw materials, goods and services from Australia, lifting demand for the AUD, and pushing up its value. The opposite is the case when the Chinese economy is not growing as fast as expected. Positive or negative surprises in Chinese growth data, therefore, often have a direct impact on the Australian Dollar and its pairs. Iron Ore is Australia’s largest export, accounting for $118 billion a year according to data from 2021, with China as its primary destination. The price of Iron Ore, therefore, can be a driver of the Australian Dollar. Generally, if the price of Iron Ore rises, AUD also goes up, as aggregate demand for the currency increases. The opposite is the case if the price of Iron Ore falls. Higher Iron Ore prices also tend to result in a greater likelihood of a positive Trade Balance for Australia, which is also positive of the AUD. The Trade Balance, which is the difference between what a country earns from its exports versus what it pays for its imports, is another factor that can influence the value of the Australian Dollar. If Australia produces highly sought after exports, then its currency will gain in value purely from the surplus demand created from foreign buyers seeking to purchase its exports versus what it spends to purchase imports. Therefore, a positive net Trade Balance strengthens the AUD, with the opposite effect if the Trade Balance is negative. Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page. If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has

China’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Manufacturing PMI rose slightly from 49.3 in July to 49.4 in August, but remained below 50, marking the fifth consecutive month of contraction. Meanwhile, the NBS Non-Manufacturing PMI edged up from 50.1 in July to 50.3 in August, indicating a modest expansion across the services sector. Manufacturing Recovery and Industry Trends CN Wire highlighted key trends in August’s PMI data: New Export Order Index edged up 0.1 percentage points to 47.2%, still well below the neutral 50 level. New order Index rose 0.1 percentage points to 49.5%. Employment Index fell 0.1 percentage points to 47.9%. Key raw material prices increased by 2.2 percentage points to 53.3, the highest since October 2024, potentially pressuring profit margins and the labor market. Demand and Production Crucial Amid Waning Consumer Consumption August’s manufacturing PMI could pressure Beijing to roll out fresh stimulus to counter the effects of US tariffs on external demand. While services sector activity picked up modestly, the upswing may not be enough to deliver Beijing’s 5% GDP growth target. Chinese retail sales rose 3.7% year-on-year in July, down from a 4.8% increase in June. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate increased from 5% to 5.2% in July, as youth unemployment soared from 14.5% to 17.8%. A record number of graduates tipped the scales, spotlighting Beijing’s efforts to incentivize firms to implement graduate training schemes and hire fresh graduates. From Factory Floors to Household Budgets Weakening external demand and intensifying domestic competition impact selling prices, forcing firms to lower costs. Lower costs lead to lower wages, affecting disposable incomes and household spending. Natixis Asia Pacific Chief Economist Alicia Garcia Herrero recently commented: More information in our economic calendarKey PMI Survey Differences The NBS PMI primarily tracks large state-owned enterprises across China, while the Caixin PMI focuses on small- to mid-sized firms, particularly in coastal regions. As a result, the Caixin PMI often provides a more comprehensive picture of private sector performance. Several Key Developments Could Dictate Market Sentiment: It could be another crucial week for global markets. Traders should consider the following events and data for near-term AUD/USD and Hang Seng Index trends: US-China trade talks: China’s chief trade negotiator Li Chenggang reportedly met with US officials last week to discuss trade. According to CN Wire, he met with representatives from the US Department of Commerce, the Office of the US Trade Representative, and the Treasury Department to discuss terms from previous agreements. China’s Economic Data Releases: The Caixin Manufacturing PMI (September 1) and Caixin Services PMI (September 3) will influence sentiment. Weaker numbers would likely weigh on sentiment, though traders may lift expectations of further policy support from Beijing. On the other hand, upbeat data could boost demand for risk assets. Market Trends and Outlook Mainland China’s CSI 300 and the Shanghai Composite Index gained 2.71% and 0.84%, respectively, in the week ending August 29, on hopes for a trade deal and fresh stimulus measures. However, the Hang Seng Index bucked the trend, falling 1.03%. Weakening Chinese industrial profits and shifts in sentiment toward Fed policy affected demand for Hong Kong-listed stocks. Read More

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. If your business or work depends on documents, you need a scanner that can do more than just snap a photo. iScanner is a top-rated scanning and document management app that brings professional-level tools right to your phone or tablet — with no ads, no recurring fees, and a focus on secure, high-quality output. Score lifetime access to iScanner for the price of $24.99 until September 7 by entering promo code SCAN at checkout (MSRP $199.90). With support for iOS and Android, iScanner lets you digitize everything from contracts and receipts to handwritten notes and math equations. Use it to scan documents, export to PDF, Word, Excel, JPG, or even TXT, and automatically straighten, crop, and clean up pages with AI. It also offers full OCR support (Optical Character Recognition) in 20+ languages so you can extract and edit text from scanned documents with ease. But iScanner doesn’t stop there. You can sign forms, redact sensitive info, add watermarks, number pages, protect folders with a PIN, and even merge or split documents on the fly. Advanced scan modes let you handle IDs, passports, math problems, measurements, object counts, and QR codes. Plus, its intuitive file manager keeps everything organized with drag-and-drop, folders, and 200MB of included secure cloud storage. For freelancers, remote teams, and small businesses, this is a pro tool built for real-world document workflows on your iPhone, iPad, or Android. New users can get a lifetime subscription to the iScanner App for just $24.99 with code SCAN until September 7. StackSocial prices subject to change. If your business or work depends on documents, you need a scanner that can do more than just snap a photo. iScanner is a top-rated scanning and document management app that brings professional-level tools right to your phone or tablet — with no ads, no recurring fees, and a focus on secure, high-quality output. Score lifetime access to iScanner for the price of $24.99 until September 7 by entering promo code SCAN at checkout (MSRP $199.90). With support for iOS and Android, iScanner lets you digitize everything from contracts and receipts to handwritten notes and math equations. Use it to scan documents, export to PDF, Word, Excel, JPG, or even TXT, and automatically straighten, crop, and clean up pages with AI. It also offers full OCR support (Optical Character Recognition) in 20+ languages so you can extract and edit text from scanned documents with ease. But iScanner doesn’t stop there. You can sign forms, redact sensitive info, add watermarks, number pages, protect folders with a PIN, and even merge or split documents on the fly. Advanced scan modes let you handle IDs, passports, math problems, measurements, object counts, and QR codes. Plus, its intuitive file manager keeps everything organized with drag-and-drop, folders, and 200MB of included secure cloud storage. The rest of this article is locked. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access. Read More

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. When I started out, the goal was pretty straightforward: Make lots of money. Like most new entrepreneurs, I figured once I’d “made it,” then I’d give back. That part would come later. Success first, impact second. Looking back, I now realize that mentality was a massive mistake. In fact, I believe it was one of the fundamental reasons it took me years to find any success. I now realize that pushing purpose to the back burner might be the thing that stalls your growth even more than poor marketing. Everything turned around for me when I stopped “chasing paper” and started asking how I could help. When that shift happened, my business started to thrive in ways I never expected. And the money? It followed, as a side effect. It’s a fact that we all know deep down, but too often forget. We’re told that giving back is something you earn the right to do once your company is big, your team is built, and your bank account looks a certain way. But the reality is that purpose isn’t a luxury; it’s a growth strategy. This attitude of abundance needs to be something that you embody both internally and externally as well. Related: How to Balance Profits With Purpose at Your Business The first focus needs to be on how you approach your day-to-day operations. At BotBuilders, our work centers around AI and automation. But that’s not really what drives us. The deeper mission is helping small business owners believe in what they’re building and giving them tools to actually pull it off. The more we’ve invested in our clients’ success, the more we’ve seen our own business expand. Not just in revenue, but in reach, loyalty and community. Real relationships have carried us further than any marketing tactic ever could. It’s not something you can track or budget for, but we’ve all experienced how one relationship can lead to exponential growth, on many levels. The second way to have an impact is how your company shows outside of your core competency. Namely, in your community. How often do you and your team get out and serve those who need it most? Money is great, but there is no comparison to the difference that a smile can make. One of the biggest culture-shaping moments we’ve ever had started in the most unexpected place: a bowling alley in Arizona. Working with Special Olympics Arizona, we put together the Bowl-A-Thon Bash. The annual event pairs athletes with local business owners for high-fives, gutter balls, and a whole lot of laughter. At first, it felt like a one-off community event. But after that night, something shifted. It became tradition. And every year we go back it resets something in us. We leave lighter, clearer, and more in tune with what really matters. That one night has done more to anchor our company values than any vision statement ever could. Don’t get me wrong, money is important. I’m not dismissing that. But if we’re talking about real impact? Giving your time and actually showing up, things just hit different. Over the years, our team has done all kinds of small things that ended up being huge. We’ve served meals at shelters. We’ve planted trees. We’ve hosted holiday parties in retirement homes just to bring some joy to folks who don’t get many visitors. Related: This CEO Says Prioritizing Purpose Over Profit Is Key to Consistent Growth and Sustainable Profit — Here’s Why. None of that was fancy. None of it was scalable or “optimized.” But the growth those moments sparked? You could feel it. In how we communicated, how we worked together and how we showed up on Monday mornings. When we work together to do good for others, we are connected on a level much deeper than winning awards or even with traditional team-building activities. So if you’re leading a team, never forget the fact that your values are contagious. Culture doesn’t come from the posters on your wall or the perks in your handbook. It’s built in the quiet choices. It shows up in how you respond when no one’s watching. It’s shaped by what you say “yes” to, and what you’re willing to let slide. As my angel-of-a-mother always says, “never miss a chance to help someone out.” When you lead with meaning, people notice. They step up. And the ripple effects extend way beyond your team. So don’t wait for the perfect opportunity. You don’t need a giant audience, a massive checkbook or a five-year plan to make an impact. You just need to care enough to begin. You’ll be amazed by what comes of it on every level of your organization. Pick something simple. Volunteer for a day, and invite your team into the process. Whatever you do, it doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be real. Because when your business stands for something more, people stand with you. And that is when things really start to grow. Read More

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. When your career takes you across borders, being able to speak the local language isn’t just helpful — it’s a competitive edge. Rosetta Stone’s immersive language platform has been trusted for 27 years by organizations such as NASA and TripAdvisor, and it’s now available to new users as a lifetime subscription for just $148.97 with code FLUENT until September 7. With access to 25 languages — including Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Arabic, and Japanese — you’ll be equipped for nearly any global business opportunity. Rosetta Stone’s intuitive training method mimics how we learned our first language, helping you absorb vocabulary, structure, and pronunciation naturally. The platform’s speech-recognition technology analyzes your accent in real time, offering instant feedback. Progressive lessons start with practical conversations such as ordering food, giving directions, or talking through a meeting, and advance to more nuanced discussions like negotiating, giving feedback, and navigating cultural topics. Whether you’re prepping for an overseas project, building international client relationships, or managing a global team, this tool is designed to keep you sharp and culturally competent. This deal is for new users only, and you’ll need to activate it within 30 days of purchase. Once you do, you’ll have lifetime access on desktop and mobile with no monthly fees, and you can switch between languages whenever you want. Secure your edge in global business with lifetime Rosetta Stone access for $148.97 through September 7 by entering promo code FLUENT at checkout. StackSocial prices subject to change. When your career takes you across borders, being able to speak the local language isn’t just helpful — it’s a competitive edge. Rosetta Stone’s immersive language platform has been trusted for 27 years by organizations such as NASA and TripAdvisor, and it’s now available to new users as a lifetime subscription for just $148.97 with code FLUENT until September 7. With access to 25 languages — including Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Arabic, and Japanese — you’ll be equipped for nearly any global business opportunity. Rosetta Stone’s intuitive training method mimics how we learned our first language, helping you absorb vocabulary, structure, and pronunciation naturally. The platform’s speech-recognition technology analyzes your accent in real time, offering instant feedback. Progressive lessons start with practical conversations such as ordering food, giving directions, or talking through a meeting, and advance to more nuanced discussions like negotiating, giving feedback, and navigating cultural topics. Whether you’re prepping for an overseas project, building international client relationships, or managing a global team, this tool is designed to keep you sharp and culturally competent. The rest of this article is locked. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access. Read More

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. In 2024, a scammer used deepfake audio and video to impersonate Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna and attempted to authorize a wire transfer, reportedly tied to an acquisition. Ferrari never confirmed the amount, which rumors placed in the millions of euros. The scheme failed when an executive assistant stopped it by asking a security question only the real CEO could answer. This isn’t sci-fi. Deepfakes have jumped from political misinformation to corporate fraud. Ferrari foiled this one — but other companies haven’t been so lucky. Executive deepfake attacks are no longer rare outliers. They’re strategic, scalable and surging. If your company hasn’t faced one yet, odds are it’s only a matter of time. Related: Hackers Targeted a $12 Billion Cybersecurity Company With a Deepfake of Its CEO. Here’s Why Small Details Made It Unsuccessful. How AI empowers imposters You need less than three minutes of a CEO’s public video — and under $15 worth of software — to make a convincing deepfake. With just a short YouTube clip, AI software can recreate a person’s face and voice in real time. No studio. No Hollywood budget. Just a laptop and someone ready to use it. In Q1  2025, deepfake fraud cost an estimated $200 million globally, according to Resemble AI’s Q1 2025 Deepfake Incident Report. These are not pranks — they’re targeted heists hitting C‑suite wallets. The biggest liability isn’t technical infrastructure; it’s trust. Why the C‑suite is a prime target Executives make easy targets because: They share earnings calls, webinars and LinkedIn videos that feed training data Their words carry weight — teams obey with little pushback They approve big payments fast, often without red flags In a Deloitte poll from May 2024, 26% of execs said someone had tried a deepfake scam on their financial data in the past year. Behind the scenes, these attacks often begin with stolen credentials harvested from malware infections. One criminal group develops the malware, another scours leaks for promising targets — company names, exec titles and email patterns. Multivector engagement follows: text, email, social media chats — building familiarity and trust before a live video or voice deepfake seals the deal. The final stage? A faked order from the top and a wire transfer to nowhere. Common attack tactics Voice cloning: In 2024, the U.S. saw over 845,000 imposter scams, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission. This shows that seconds of audio can make a convincing clone. Attackers hide by using encrypted chats — WhatsApp or personal phones — to skirt IT controls. One notable case: In 2021, a UAE bank manager got a call mimicking the regional director’s voice. He wired $35 million to a fraudster. Live video deepfakes: AI now enables real-time video impersonation, as nearly happened in the Ferrari case. The attacker created a synthetic video call of CEO Benedetto Vigna that nearly fooled staff. Staged, multi-channel social engineering: Attackers often build pretexts over time — fake recruiter emails, LinkedIn chats, calendar invites — before a call. These tactics echo other scams like counterfeit ads: Criminals duplicate legitimate brand campaigns, then trick users onto fake landing pages to steal data or sell knockoffs. Users blame the real brand, compounding reputational damage. Multivector trust-building works the same way in executive impersonation: Familiarity opens the door, and AI walks right through it. Related: The Deepfake Threat is Real. Here Are 3 Ways to Protect Your Business What if someone deepfakes the C‑suite Ferrari came close to wiring funds after a live deepfake of their CEO. Only an assistant’s quick challenge about a personal security question stopped it. While no money was lost in this case, the incident raised concerns about how AI-enabled fraud might exploit executive workflows. Other companies weren’t so lucky. In the UAE case above, a deepfaked phone call and forged documents led to a $35 million loss. Only $400,000 was later traced to U.S. accounts — the rest vanished. Law enforcement never identified the perpetrators. A 2023 case involved a Beazley-insured company, where a finance director received a deepfaked WhatsApp video of the CEO. Over two weeks, they transferred $6 million to a bogus account in Hong Kong. While insurance helped recover the financial loss, the incident still disrupted operations and exposed critical vulnerabilities. The shift from passive misinformation to active manipulation changes the game entirely. Deepfake attacks aren’t just threats to reputation or financial survival anymore — they directly undermine trust and operational integrity. How to protect the C‑suite Audit public executive content. Limit unnecessary executive exposure in video/audio formats. Ask: Does the CFO need to be in every public webinar? Enforce multi-factor verification. Always verify high-risk requests through secondary channels — not just email or video. Avoid putting full trust in any one medium. Adopt AI-powered detection tools. Use tools that fight fire with fire by leveraging AI features for AI-generated fake content detection: Photo analysis: Detects AI-generated images by spotting facial irregularities, lighting issues or visual inconsistencies Video analysis: Flags deepfakes by examining unnatural movements, frame glitches and facial syncing errors Voice analysis: Identifies synthetic speech by analyzing tone, cadence and voice pattern mismatches Ad monitoring: Detects deepfake ads featuring AI-generated executive likenesses, fake endorsements or manipulated video/audio clips Impersonation detection: Spots deepfakes by identifying mismatched voice, face or behavior patterns used to mimic real people Fake support line detection: Identifies fraudulent customer service channels — including cloned phone numbers, spoofed websites or AI-run chatbots designed to impersonate real brands But beware: Criminals use AI too and often move faster. At the moment, criminals are using more advanced AI in their attacks than we are using in our defense systems. Strategies that are all about preventative technology are likely to fail — attackers will always find ways in. Thorough personnel training is just as crucial as technology is to catch deepfakes and social engineering and to thwart attacks. Train with realistic simulations: Use simulated phishing and deepfake drills to test your team. For example, some security

One of the greatest retirement fears Americans face is outliving their savings and investments, according to a June study from the nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. A new report published earlier this month by the senior living platform Seniorly highlights these concerns by finding that retirees in nearly every state are expected to fall short of enough income to cover their retirement costs. The study found that in 41 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C., seniors do not have enough financial resources saved up for retirement. Retirees have an average life expectancy of 18.2 years at retirement age (65 years old) and are expected to bring in $762,000 across their retirement lifetime from Social Security, savings, and investments. However, their average living expenses are $877,000, leaving a gap of $115,000. Related: How Much Money Do You Need to Retire Comfortably in Your State? Here’s the Breakdown. Seniorly analyzed available data from sources like the U.S. Social Security Administration and the Census Bureau to calculate expected retirement income and expenses. The study found that New York was the highest risk state for retirees running out of funds. Expenses in the state were $1.1 million, and income was $670,000, leaving a shortfall of $430,000. Washington is the top state where seniors are least likely to outlive their savings, with a surplus of about $146,000. A Northwestern Mutual report added to the findings by discovering that Americans believe they need $1.26 million to comfortably retire — that’s the magic number for retirement savings. The majority of Americans (51%) said that it is somewhat or very likely that they will not have enough money to cover retirement expenses. Related: These Are the ‘Wealthiest and Safest’ Places to Retire in the U.S. None of Them Are in Florida — and 2 States Swept the List. Here are the 10 states where seniors are most at risk of outliving their retirement savings, according to Seniorly, based on average income across a retirement lifetime and average expenses across a retirement lifetime for each state. 1. New York Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1.1 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $670,000 Shortfall: $430,000 2. Hawaii Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1.7 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $1.3 million Shortfall: $400,000 3. District of Columbia Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1.1 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $736,000 Shortfall: $364,000 4. Alaska Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1.1 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $712,000 Shortfall: $388,000 5. California Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1.3 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $926,000 Shortfall: $374,000 6. Massachusetts Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1.3 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $1 million Shortfall: $300,000 7. Rhode Island Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $960,000 Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $676,000 Shortfall: $284,000 8. Vermont Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $771,000 Shortfall: $229,000 9. Louisiana Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $724,000 Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $479,000 Shortfall: $245,000 10. Connecticut Expenses Across Retirement Lifetime: $1 million Income Across Retirement Lifetime: $851,000 Approximate shortfall: $149,000 Read More

Netflix was never supposed to be television. That was the whole point. It was the anti-TV, the glossy disruptor that let you escape coaxial-cord tyranny, laugh at set-up appointment schedules, and watch “Breaking Bad” at three in the morning instead of waiting until AMC dropped the latest episode on Sunday night. Netflix was pitched as a streaming utopia sold in boldface: no ads, no bundles, no bills padded with channels you’d never watch. It promised freedom and convenience at one price, a consumer-first paradise where the viewer had all the power. But the company that promised to kill cable has spent its adulthood reassembling its corpse. Revolutions age, and this one is now deep into its late 20s. Netflix turned 28 on Friday, which in tech years, makes it less the scrappy upstart and more the industry’s middle manager. And as Netflix has aged, something peculiar has happened. The company that once bragged about “killing TV” has started to look like TV — specifically, like cable.  The app that mocked time slots now sells you Monday nights. The platform that swore off advertising now trots out Nielsen metrics at upfronts week. The service that derided bundles now sneaks into your Comcast or Verizon bill. The streamer that killed appointment TV is resurrecting it to trade “What do you want to watch?” for “Here’s when to show up.” Netflix hasn’t just grown up; it has grown into the very shape of the industry it once set out to destroy. It’s not subtle. Last December, Netflix broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day — exclusive, streaming-only, and treated like event programming in the old ABC “Monday Night Football” mold. More than 26.5 million people in the U.S. watched, with global totals topping 30 million, making them the most-streamed NFL games in history. The NFL was impressed enough to sign a three-year deal guaranteeing at least one Christmas game on Netflix through 2026. Holidays are television’s crown jewels — NBC owns Thanksgiving night, ABC grabs New Year’s Eve, CBS has long held down Sunday afternoons. Now, Netflix owns Christmas. And the sports creep is real: Netflix now holds the exclusive U.S. rights to the 2027 and 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cups — two more global tentpoles added to the app-night calendar. In January, it locked down Mondays, too. WWE “Raw,” which had defined USA Network’s brand for three decades, moved wholesale to Netflix. Fifty-two weeks a year, three hours a night, the same slot every Monday at 8 p.m. ET. This wasn’t a “drop.” This was a programming grid, the kind of fixed appointment that was supposed to vanish in the streaming age. It’s the most old-school thing a modern streamer can do: Claim a night, build a routine, train a country to treat “open the app” like “go to channel 17.” The company that once lived by binge culture is now running its own primetime lineup. Even reality TV has been coaxed into rhythm. “Love Is Blind,” Netflix’s buzziest dating franchise, is parceled out in weekly episodes, giving Twitter and TikTok time to chew over the cliffhangers before the next episode lands. “The Great British Baking Show,” which has long been a Friday-night ritual on Netflix in the U.S., drops weekly episodes each fall as if it were still running on PBS.  Netflix hasn’t just rediscovered appointment viewing. It has weaponized it. The bundle… redux The other ghost of cable lives in the bill. For decades, the bundle was TV’s greatest con. You paid $99.99 a month for “basic” and “premium” tiers — which had channels you never watched, a sports tax hidden inside, and local affiliate fees thrown in like condiments. Streaming was supposed to end that. No bundles, just freedom. Yet here we are: Comcast offers “StreamSaver,” a package that includes Netflix, Peacock, and Apple TV+ for $15. Verizon sells a Netflix+Max combo for $10. T-Mobile still promotes “Netflix on Us” as a perk for premium subscribers. These are carriage deals by another name, with the same effect: The bundle is back, and Netflix is happily riding inside it. Why the turn? Because streaming growth slowed. Wall Street, once thrilled with raw subscriber additions, shifted its obsession to average revenue per user (ARPU). Churn ticked higher. Competitors multiplied. And the easiest way to juice numbers was the oldest trick in the book: bundle in, reduce cancellations, raise effective revenue. Cable knew it, and Netflix is relearning it. The difference is that instead of paying Time Warner Cable, you pay Verizon. Advertising followed the same arc. Netflix once wore “no ads” like a badge of honor, the ultimate marker that it wasn’t TV. Reed Hastings declared the company allergic to commercials, dismissing Madison Avenue’s model as messy and obsolete. Then came 2022, when Netflix launched its ad-supported tier, and 2023, when it partnered with Microsoft for ad tech.  By 2025, the ad tier had more than 94 million monthly active users and Netflix was a headliner at the upfronts. By June of this year, Netflix vaulted into Nielsen’s top three media distributors for the first time, with 8.3% of all TV time — behind YouTube and shoulder-to-shoulder with the combined weight of legacy linear. The “largest network” framing isn’t metaphor; it’s math. So Nielsen now measures Netflix’s inventory, Madison Avenue treats it like a top-three network, and CPMs rival broadcast. The app that swore it would never have ad breaks now interrupts “Raw” with them — even for ad-free plans during live broadcasts, just like cable once did. The irony is sharper when you remember how hard Netflix used to try to dodge ratings culture. For years, executives refused to release numbers, insisting success was about cultural buzz, not measurement. Today, the company produces a twice-yearly “Engagement Report” that accounts for 99% of all viewing hours and turns into trade headlines dissected like old Nielsen overnights. Analysts pore over the charts. Studios watch anxiously for bragging rights. On a weekly basis, Netflix itself functions like a channel guide, with Top