- In today’s CEO Daily: Diane Brady talks to Penny Pennington of Edward Jones.
- The big story: Trump and Epstein.
- The markets: All is calm.
- Analyst notes from ING on the Fed, Oxford Economics on jobless claims, and WARC on Reddit’s revenue and user growth.
- Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.
Good morning. The U.S. economy has been surprisingly resilient while the tariff wars rage even though prices may go up as inventories dwindle, consumers are becoming more value conscious, and investors are by turns sanguine and skittish. (Witness their reaction to the specter of President Trump potentially firing U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, as my colleague Jim Edwards noted in this piece.)
I had a chance to speak with several business leaders at a roundtable convened by Edward Jones Managing Partner Penny Pennington recently at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Her concern was, “how do we help future generations build wealth in this uncertain economy?” With challenges like high home prices and an uncertain job market, she takes a holistic view of the customer. “We’re a wealth and wellbeing company.”
The theme of investing took many forms. Bev Anderson, CEO of BECU credit union, focused on creating financial opportunities, while Gallup CEO Jon Clifton talked about the need for better global indicators of how we feel amid a rise in negative emotions. Southern Company CEO Chris Womack is expanding his energy infrastructure amid surging demand at the country’s second-largest utility. Optimism about the power of technology and innovation was mixed with worries about geopolitics and the state of civil society.
In an era of growing complexity and rapid change, face-to-face conversations have become even more important for sharing ideas and building trusted relationships. That’s why the dinners hosted by CEO Initiative members around the country have been so valuable. It’s why I’m excited by our upcoming Fortune Global Forum on October 26 and 27 in Riyadh.
Among the CEOs who have confirmed their attendance, so far, are Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, Ed Bastian of Delta Air Lines, Tony Elumelu of United Bank for Africa, Jane Fraser of Citigroup, Mahindra & Mahindra Anish Shah, Catherine MacGregor of ENGIE, Honeywell’s Vimal Kapur, Gilberto Tomazoni of JBS, and Jenny Johnson of Franklin Templeton. You can find out more here and click here if you’d like to apply to attend.
Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com
