Here’s news you can use in a constantly changing business environment, including an uptick in small business bankruptcies, how email phishing has gotten more sophisticated, a communication technique for making people feel more comfortable when eliciting information and more.

1. Bankruptcies trending up — Small business bankruptcies accelerated this year. About 1,500 have filed for Subchapter V bankruptcy through the end of September, outpacing 2022. Get the whole story.
2. Email phishing gets more sophisticated — Hackers are using more sophisticated obfuscation techniques to get past email screening software. A common tactic, called HTML smuggling, distributes malware in a dormant form to make it more difficult to detect. The code turns into malware after clearing a corporate network and arriving on a user’s computer. Discover more.
3. Popularity of oversized homes waning — 52% of consumers want smaller homes and smaller yards. Desires to declutter, reduce personal spending, focus on what’s needed now and prioritize self-care are driving the trend. See what else home buyers want.
4. One retailer stands out for lower theft — While retailers like Walmart, Home Depot and Target have seen inventory shrink 53% from 2019 to 2021, Costco stores defy the trend. Costco’s CFO attributes their low theft losses to limited use of self-checkout lanes. Learn more about how theft affects retailer profits.
5. Find out anything — There’s a technique to persuade people to open up and it’s not asking a question. Instead, make a provocative statement to make them feel more comfortable sharing information. Read how the art of elicitation works.

Thank you to our Friday Five sources: Inc., SiliconANGLE, Forbes, Yahoo! Finance, and Entrepreneur.

 

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