This Week in ESG and Impact Investing

The July 2026 Producer Price Index offers what initially looks like encouraging news: producer prices were unchanged during the month. But for Black-owned and other minority-owned businesses, the headline number does not tell the whole story. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Producer Price Index for final demand was unchanged in July after declining 0.1 percent in June and increasing 0.5 percent in May. Yet producer prices remain 4.7 percent higher than a year ago .  Cost categories most relevant to minority businesses continue to rise. For minority firms operating with smaller cash reserves, limited access to affordable credit, and less bargaining power with suppliers, the difference between "zero inflation" and continued underlying cost pressure is significant. Construction Costs Jump 2.2% Prices for final demand construction increased 2.2 percent in July. That matters because construction and contracting represent important areas of minority business a...

The July 2026 Consumer Price Index appears, at first glance, to deliver exactly the inflation story policymakers and financial markets would like to see. The Consumer Price Index increased just 0.1 percent in July , following a 0.4 percent decline in June. Annual inflation edged down from 3.5 percent to 3.4 percent , while core CPI slowed to 2.5 percent year-over-year . That is certainly better than the inflation surge seen earlier this year. But the July report deserves more scrutiny than the headline numbers are likely to receive. The issue is that the apparent improvement depends heavily on statistical adjustments, volatile energy prices, and methodological choices that can make a small monthly change look more definitive than it really is. For Black- and minority-owned businesses, which make decisions based on actual fuel bills, rents, insurance premiums, food costs, and borrowing expenses, the distinction matters. The Headline Number Is Doing a Lot of Work BLS reported a seasonall...

The changing policy environment surrounding diversity, immigration, federal contracting, and economic opportunity presents serious challenges for minority-owned businesses. But it may also create something that has historically been difficult to achieve: sustained economic cooperation across racial and ethnic communities. The central question is no longer simply how Black businesses, Hispanic businesses, Asian American businesses, immigrant entrepreneurs, Native businesses, women-owned firms, or other historically excluded entrepreneurs protect their individual interests. The more important question may be:  What can these businesses accomplish together? A Changing Economic Environment Federal policy toward diversity and contracting has changed substantially. In March 2026, the Administration issued an executive order targeting what it defines as racially discriminatory DEI activities by federal contractors and subcontractors. The order specifically includes vendor agreements withi...

The July 2026 employment report provides some of the clearest evidence yet that the U.S. labor market is losing momentum, according to an analysis by Creative Investment Research. Although the headline unemployment rate edged down to 4.1 percent , nonfarm payroll employment fell by 23,000 jobs , while the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised previously reported May and June employment growth downward by a combined 103,000 jobs . The figures represent a significant deterioration from the employment conditions reported earlier this year and reinforce concerns raised by Creative Investment Research following the May and June employment reports. According to the July Employment Situation data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, payroll employment declined by 23,000, compared with an average monthly increase of only 34,000 during the preceding 12 months. Local government education lost 50,000 jobs, retail trade lost 19,000, and financial activities continued to contract, losing anot...

We filed a Motion for Permission to Submit an Amicus Curiae (Friend of the Court) Brief in American Alliance for Equal Rights v. National Minority Supplier Development Council, et al. , Case No. 2:26-cv-02126-JWB-JBW , pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. The proposed brief asks a question that deserves greater attention:  What are the economic consequences of enjoining NMSDC's Minority Business Enterprise certification program? The brief does not attempt to resolve the legal issues before the Court. Instead, it examines the potential effects of disrupting a major supplier-certification system on GDP, employment, wages, procurement costs, competition, business formation, tax revenues, and long-term market efficiency . Certification Has an Economic Function Supplier certification is more than an administrative designation. It can reduce information asymmetry, supplier-search costs, verification expenses, and contracting uncertainty . The brief draws on the...

The announced merger between Optus Financial Corporation and M&F Bancorp marks one of the most significant developments in minority banking in decades. Announced on July 22, 2026, the transaction exceeds $105 million and will create the largest Black-owned bank in the United States with approximately $1.27 billion in assets, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval. Scale matters in banking. Larger balance sheets allow institutions to make larger loans, invest in technology, attract deposits, and expand access to capital in underserved communities. The combined institution strengthens the Minority Depository Institution (MDI) sector while preserving a mission-driven focus on financial inclusion. Minority Depository Institutions by Ownership  (FDIC, Q1 2026) Although the merger reduces the number of Black-owned banks by one, it materially increases the scale and competitive capacity of the resulting institution. The transaction illustrates an important trend: strategic con...