We’re getting some relief at the gas pump, but having to dig deeper in our pockets to pay for groceries. The price of eggs is up about 40 percent since this time last year. We’re paying 20 percent more for milk, bread and a staple in many Americans’ diet - chicken.

Startup companies have traditionally looked for the most experienced venture capitalists they could find to get their businesses off the ground and support their growth. That’s not always the case anymore, according to a study by Smith's Rich Mathews and co-author Naveen Khanna.

Experts from the University of Maryland and the investment management firm Conning will discuss a new approach to modeling climate risk to financial markets, in a free webinar at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, hosted by the Center for Financial Policy (CFP) at UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.

As courses convene for the new academic year, the Smith School is welcoming eight new scholars to its faculty. Sean Cao is joining the accounting department as an associate professor. Cao received a PhD from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Last week’s student loan forgiveness announcement by the Biden Administration leads to the question: How do borrowers initiate action? The White House has indicated that application is likely to open in early October. But what about the meantime? Borrowers can prepare for the process, says Smith’s Elinda F. Kiss.

Economic arguments for and against student loan forgiveness have streamed through the media since President Biden last week announced a three-part plan to cancel student debt for low- to middle-income borrowers. In responses to Brain Trust, Smith experts Michael Faulkender and David Kass give differing perspectives.

The Federal Reserve’s bank stress test is “capricious” and “arbitrary.” . . . “It’s inconsistent. It’s not transparent. It’s too volatile.” These descriptors came late last week from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon during his bank’s quarterly earnings call. It was a response to results of the latest, annual stress test – the Fed’s response to the 2008 financial crisis to help ensure that large, systemically important banks have sufficient capital buffers to withstand future crises.

Elon Musk’s move to abandon his $44 billion offer to buy Twitter has the company intent on forcing the deal through. Musk says the traffic of bots on the platform is prompting his decision in addition to his subsequent dispute with Twitter over how much data the social network should share toward answering his inquiries about these non-human accounts.

Consumers are feeling the effects of the highest inflation rates in decades, particularly on essentials like groceries and gas, while many big companies are reporting record profits. That dichotomy is angering a lot of Americans and public officials. But corporate greed isn’t to blame for inflation, says Maryland Smith finance professor Michael Faulkender.