Happy Friday!

Corporate dealmaking continues to pick up well into 2026 after reaching record highs last year. On the other hand, regulators are attempting to do away with an old stock trading rule that ensured investors got the best prices.

We will cover those topics and more in today’s edition of Weekly Digest…

In case you missed out, here are the articles we published over the past few days: 👇

➡️ M&A activity—which reached record highs in 2025—continues to pick up steam well into 2026.

➡️ AI has drastically reshaped how the consulting industry operates and how it’s viewed by investors. As a result, consulting giant Accenture (ACN) has been impacted negatively by shifting investor sentiment, even though it’s better positioned for long-term growth.

➡️ Strong client relationships are built through meaningful conversations and a genuine understanding of what matters to clients. And that is why active listening is an important skill  every financial advisor must master.

➡️ Walking clients through complex financial concepts/strategies is one of the challenges many advisors face. That said, this becomes less of a problem once advisors master this crucial skill.

Meanwhile, here are other pieces of news and information that you might find interesting:

• The SEC recently received hundreds of public comments after it proposed scrapping the trade-through rule which has ensured investors got the best prices when buying stocks.
• Retirees are feeling the effects of rising prescription medication costs.
• Rising yields on 30-year Treasury Bonds have forced the Treasury Department to buy back long-term bonds.

That’s all for today’s Weekly Digest. See you next week!