Current Affairs
May 10, 2026
Foam Shortage Impact on Furniture Market
©aulia sailan ilma / adobe stock
industry insider | May 7, 2026 |
What a foam shortage means for furniture prices
By Aidan Taylor
In mid-March, a fire broke out at LyondellBasell’s Bayport Choate chemical plant in Pasadena, Texas. The site produces propylene oxide (PO), a key ingredient in a virtually indispensable material for the design industry: polyurethane foam. It stuffs seat cushions, sectionals and sofas—and serves as the protective packaging those items are shipped in.
The Texas plant—the largest PO facility in the world, with an annual capacity of up to 600,000 tons—announced that part of the complex would be shut down for repairs, greatly reducing the factory’s output. Suddenly, the availability of a raw material furniture manufacturers rely on to fulfill their orders is in question. Naturally, they are feeling the effects.
“We have different vendors for cushion products, but typically they’ll buy foam from only a handful of people who produce the foam itself,” explains Corey Teague, president of North Carolina–based furniture brand Huntington House. “So when those handful of manufacturers run into chemical shortages, they increase the pricing, and then it starts making its way through the system.”
After the fire, suppliers quickly informed their partners that foam prices would be increasing 10 to 20 percent across the board. The good news for manufacturers—and their customers—is that foam typically comprises a relatively small portion of an item’s cost. “Foam makes up probably 5 to 8 percent of your total cost of a piece of furniture, so if [the price] goes up 20 percent, it’s really only impacting your bottom line by a percentage point or two,” says Trent Wright, head of manufacturing at Coley Home. “Even [if] it goes up a lot, the overall impact of your cost should not cripple you.”
Still, the fire comes amid a slew of other challenges that have chipped away at manufacturers’ margins—spiking oil costs, the result of the conflict in Iran, have only added fuel to the fire. That coupled with the shortages and increased costs of foam have further cemented preexisting plans for increases. “The foam made the increase that we’re about to take inevitable, because it really pushed us over the ability to eat it,” says Tim Newlin, president and CEO of Ohio-based Norwalk Furniture, which recently announced a 3 percent price increase that will go into effect in June. But the key driver, he says, is gas prices rather than foam: “Everything that ships to you from a supplier is going up because of inbound freight.”
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Meanwhile, war-induced pressure on European supply chains and price increases tied to the shortage of another important chemical—toluene diisocyanate, or TDI—is compounding the tension as demand for American sources surges. “At the moment, we remain hopeful that we and other financially strong foam buyers will not experience supply shortages, though much depends on the speed at which the damaged facility can be brought back online,” says Alex Shuford, CEO of North Carolina–based Rock House Farm, the parent company of Century Furniture, Hancock & Moore, Hickory Chair, and Highland House.
For some manufacturers, the problem isn’t the rising cost of foam, but simply getting it in the first place. Bigger players are able to point to the volume of their business, pressuring suppliers to keep their orders coming as usual. For smaller manufacturers, the possibility of a foam allocation—where only a percentage of a manufacturer’s order is delivered due to shortages—has been top of mind. “Some suppliers are putting customers on allocation. [If] they receive 50 percent of the foam that they received before, then our vendor has to decide, ‘Who gets that foam?’” says Wright. “It becomes: Are you the best customer? Fortunately for us, we have a very good personal and business relationship with our supplier, and even though we’re receiving a price increase, we’re not too worried about allocation. But I do think the allocation part is going to hit the industry as a whole, which will certainly drive lead times longer and hurt the bottom line, because you’re not able to ship the dollars that you would normally.”
To circumvent the potential for future allocation, many suppliers rushed to purchase foam in bulk immediately after the fire in an effort to ensure they had enough to fulfill orders in the near future. “We work with some of the bigger cushion manufacturers, and they all started buying as many buns of foam as they could,” says Nathan Copeland, president at Highland House. “The idea was that, one, it’s at a lower price point. And then two, they were trying to keep us from being put on allocation.”
That foresight was imparted by past experiences. In February of 2021, an ice storm blew through Texas and damaged several chemical factories. The shutdowns, which were exacerbated by power outages, sent shortages rippling throughout the industry—at a time when pandemic-fueled orders were sending business for furniture brands through the roof. “We were put on rations of foam,” recalls Copeland. “At the time, business had ramped up so much that we needed to be at 120 percent of our normal allocation, because we needed [foam] to be able to fill every order. Those allocations really did hurt everyone in our business. They were hoping it would last for maybe eight to 10 weeks, and it ended up being closer to 20 weeks.”
Even with its challenges, the current situation is faring far better than the 2021 crisis. “We had originally anticipated October [2026 High Point] Market as a time frame for when things would kind of return to normal,” says Teague. “And then that got updated to August. The last we heard is that it’s more like June or July now, so the story has gotten increasingly better. We’re optimistic that it’s going to get resolved sooner than we thought.”
https://businessofhome.com/articles/what-a-foam-shortage-means-for-furniture-prices
May 7, 2026
Fraud Alert: There has Been a Recent Surge in Vendor & Supply Chain Spoofing Aided by AI
Top 7 Phishing Scams Targeting Businesses in 2025 and How to Avoid Them
written by Neha Prajapati October 3, 2025
In 2025, email phishing attacks remain the #1 threat to businesses. Despite advances in cybersecurity, phishing continues to evolve—leveraging AI-generated emails, deepfakes, and advanced spoofing techniques to trick employees, compromise systems, and steal sensitive data.
According to recent reports, over 90% of breaches begin with a phishing email, costing businesses billions in damages, compliance fines, and lost customer trust. The risk is even higher for industries like finance, healthcare, technology, and professional services, where attackers target high-value data.
In this blog, we’ll break down the Top 7 phishing scams targeting U.S. businesses in 2025—and more importantly, share practical ways to defend your organization.
1. AI-Powered Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Cybercriminals are increasingly using AI-driven text generators to create emails that look and sound exactly like they came from a trusted executive, client, or vendor. These emails often carry a sense of urgency, pressuring employees into approving payments, sharing login credentials, or processing fake invoices without proper verification. Because the language is polished, context-specific, and free of common phishing red flags, many employees fail to recognize the danger until it’s too late. Unlike older phishing scams that relied on obvious spelling or grammar mistakes, AI-generated emails are nearly indistinguishable from legitimate communication. The result is a highly effective form of fraud that puts businesses at serious risk of financial loss, compliance breaches, and reputational damage.
How to avoid it:
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all financial approvals.
- Train employees to verify requests via a second channel (phone, Teams, etc.).
- Deploy AI-based email security filters to detect subtle spoofing patterns.
2. Deepfake CEO Scams
Deepfake technology has rapidly advanced, and in 2025, cybercriminals are exploiting it to launch CEO fraud scams that look and sound alarmingly real. Using AI-generated voice and video, attackers impersonate senior executives during calls or video meetings, pressuring employees to make urgent payments, approve wire transfers, or share confidential data. Unlike traditional phishing, these scams create a powerful sense of authority and urgency, making employees feel they must act immediately. Since the requests appear to come directly from top leadership, victims rarely question them until it’s too late. For businesses, deepfake CEO scams can cause severe financial losses and reputational damage, especially when attackers target finance or operations teams.
How to avoid it:
- Establish verification policies for all high-value transactions.
- Educate staff about deepfake risks and encourage skepticism of unusual requests.
- Monitor for unusual behavior patterns in communication channels.
3. Fake SaaS Login Portals
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting businesses with fake SaaS login portals that mimic platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or Salesforce. Employees receive an email prompting them to log in—often framed as a security update, password reset, or urgent access issue. Once they enter their credentials, attackers capture the information and use it to access corporate systems, steal data, or launch further attacks. These fraudulent portals are often indistinguishable from the real thing, making them especially dangerous for busy employees. With so many organizations relying on SaaS platforms for daily operations, this scam has become one of the most effective ways for hackers to compromise entire networks.
How to avoid it:
- Deploy Single Sign-On (SSO) with conditional access.
- Train staff to check URLs carefully before logging in.
- Use phishing-resistant MFA (FIDO2 keys, biometrics).
4. Vendor & Supply Chain Spoofing
Vendor and supply chain spoofing has become a major threat as businesses increasingly rely on third-party vendors and partners. In this attack, cybercriminals either compromise a legitimate vendor’s account or create a fake domain that closely resembles a trusted supplier’s. They then send fraudulent invoices, payment instructions, or requests that appear authentic, tricking employees into transferring money or sharing sensitive data. Because these messages seem to come from established business relationships, they often bypass suspicion and traditional security checks. The financial and reputational damage from falling victim to such scams can be devastating, especially in industries with complex supply chains like manufacturing, finance, and healthcare.
How to avoid it:
- Set up vendor verification protocols.
- Use Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC) to prevent domain spoofing.
- Continuously monitor supply chain risks.
5. Phishing via Collaboration Tools
With the rise of hybrid work, platforms like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom have become core to business operations—but they’ve also become new attack surfaces. Cybercriminals are now embedding phishing links, malicious files, or fake meeting invites directly inside these collaboration tools, bypassing traditional email security filters. Since messages appear to come from trusted colleagues or internal systems, employees are far more likely to click without hesitation. This type of phishing is particularly dangerous because it blends seamlessly into daily workflows, making detection difficult. For businesses, one compromised account inside these platforms can quickly spread malware, steal credentials, or expose sensitive conversations.
How to avoid it:
- Enable security controls within collaboration platforms.
- Train employees to avoid clicking unknown links inside chats.
- Use cloud access security brokers (CASBs) for visibility.
6. Credential Harvesting Through QR Codes (Quishing)
A rising threat in 2025 is QR code phishing, often called Quishing. Cybercriminals embed malicious QR codes in emails, websites, or even printed materials like posters and flyers. When scanned, these codes redirect unsuspecting employees to fraudulent login pages designed to harvest credentials or install malware on their devices. What makes quishing particularly dangerous is its ability to bypass traditional email filters—since the malicious link is hidden inside the QR code itself. With businesses increasingly relying on mobile devices, this method of phishing is becoming a preferred choice for attackers. Left unchecked, it can compromise entire networks by stealing sensitive employee or client data.
How to avoid it:
- Educate staff on the risks of scanning unknown QR codes.
- Deploy mobile device management (MDM) with secure browsing controls.
- Monitor unusual logins from mobile devices.
7. Fake Compliance & Security Alerts
Another rising phishing tactic in 2025 involves fake compliance and security alerts. Cybercriminals impersonate regulators, government agencies, or even internal IT teams to send urgent messages demanding immediate action. These emails may claim that your business is out of compliance with HIPAA, IRS, or PCI DSS rules and pressure employees to log in, update credentials, or submit sensitive data. Fear-driven phishing works because it exploits the urgency of compliance deadlines and the fear of penalties or audits. For businesses, falling for such scams can expose confidential data, lead to regulatory fines, and severely damage trust.
How to avoid it:
- Train employees to recognize red flags in compliance emails.
- Verify all requests directly with the regulatory body.
- Partner with a managed security provider to monitor threats.
How Businesses Can Stay Ahead of Phishing in 2025
Phishing scams are only getting more sophisticated, scalable, and damaging. Defending your business requires a multi-layered security strategy:
- Employee Training – The first line of defense is awareness.
- Zero Trust Security – Never trust, always verify.
- AI-Driven Email Protection – Detect advanced phishing attempts.
- 24/7 Monitoring & Incident Response – Stop breaches before they spread.
- Compliance-Ready Reporting – Meet audit requirements and avoid fines.
At Synergy IT Solutions, we provide end-to-end cybersecurity services to protect U.S. businesses from phishing, ransomware, and advanced threats. From employee awareness programs to AI-driven threat detection and compliance support, we ensure your organization stays safe, secure, and resilient.
Final Thoughts
Phishing is no longer just a “spam email problem”—it’s a multi-billion-dollar criminal industry. With AI, deepfakes, and supply chain targeting, the risks in 2025 are higher than ever. But with the right strategy, tools, and trusted security partner, your business can stay one step ahead. Don’t wait until your company becomes the next phishing headline.
April 30, 2026
Housing Production Bounce
Home building shows signs of stabilization with March starts
By Dakota Smith
April 29, 2026 | 8:49 am CDT
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Housing production bounced back in March as builders cautiously ramp up production despite ongoing headwinds.
The March reading of 1.5 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts increased 9.7% to a 1.03 million seasonally adjusted annual rate and are up 8.9% compared to March 2025. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, increased 13.3% to an annualized 470,000 pace and are up 15.5% compared to March 2025.
“Housing starts posted a solid rebound in March, suggesting builders are responding to pockets of improving demand despite ongoing affordability challenges, although activity remains sensitive to interest rate movements and construction costs,” said Bill Owens, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and remodeler from Worthington, Ohio. “Overall, the uptick in housing starts is a positive development for residential investment and signals that the sector may be stabilizing.”
“Single-family starts drove much of the monthly increase, indicating that builders are cautiously ramping up production to meet persistent inventory shortages in the resale market,” said Danushka Nanayakkara-Skillington, NAHB’s assistant vice president for forecasting and analysis. “While this is an encouraging sign, the pace of construction is likely to remain measured as builders continue to navigate elevated financing costs and labor availability. On a regional level, the Midwest continues to outshine the rest of county as the only region to have positive single-family starts growth.”
Overall permits decreased 10.8% to a 1.37 million unit annualized rate in March. Single-family permits decreased 3.8% to an 895,000-unit rate and are down 7.9% compared to March 2025. Multifamily permits decreased 21.5% to an annualized 477,000 pace and are down 6.3% compared to March 2025.
Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, permits were 15.4% higher in the Northeast, 1.1% higher in the Midwest, 9.1% lower in the South and 6% higher in the West.
The number of single-family homes under construction is at 587,000 units while the number of apartments under construction is at 677,000 units.
April 15, 2026
Driver Availability Affecting Freight Market
Cass data shows freight market tightened further in March
TL linehaul rate index up 15 straight months
· Tuesday, April 14, 2026
March data from Cass Information Systems showed freight shipment declines narrowed while rates continued to move higher.
Cass’ (NASDAQ: CASS) multimodal shipments index increased 3% sequentially in March (up 1% seasonally adjusted), building on a 10.4% increase in February (plus-4.3% seasonally adjusted). The index was down just 4.5% year over year in the recent month, the smallest y/y decline since June. On a two-year comparison, freight volumes tracked by Cass were off less than 10%.
| March 2026 | y/y | 2-year | m/m | m/m (SA) |
| Shipments | -4.5% | -9.5% | 3.0% | 1.0% |
| Expenditures | 4.2% | 2.1% | 4.9% | 2.4% |
| TL Linehaul Index | 1.8% | 3.4% | -0.5% | NM |
Table: Cass Information Systems (SA – seasonally adjusted)
The dataset has lagged other indicators, which are showing a more upbeat demand environment.
Cass data includes a significant mix of less-than-truckload transactions. Less-than-truckload demand is weighted to the industrial economy, which has been under pressure for the majority of the past three years. However, an LTL inflection may be nearing as the Purchasing Managers’ Index for manufacturing has signaled growth in the first three months of the year.
The Tuesday report said the shipments index is “starting to catch up with other indicators” as “tightness in dry van truckload (TL) conditions is starting to radiate to other markets.” The index is expected to be off 5% y/y in April, assuming normal seasonal patterns hold, moving into positive territory in the back half of the year (plus-1.5% is the current forecast).
Even with the volume headwind, Cass’ expenditures index, which measures total freight spend including fuel, increased 4.9% from February (up 2.4% seasonally adjusted). A 4.2% y/y increase during the month coupled with the 4.5% decline in volumes implies actual freight rates were roughly 9% higher in the month. However, changes in freight mix can alter the implied rate assumption.
The report said a recent survey of midsize and large fleets showed some tightening in driver availability as new non-domicile CDL rules took effect in the month.
“Driver availability is a key component of capacity in the market, and additional scarcity seems likely, supporting higher freight rates,” the report said.
Cass’ TL linehaul index, which tracks rates excluding fuel and accessorial surcharges, increased 1.8% y/y in March, marking 15 consecutive y/y increases. A modest 0.5% step down from February was the first sequential decline in seven months. (The dataset includes for-hire spot and contract rates.)
Higher diesel fuel prices, which pushed some operators to the sidelines, offset incremental capacity availability as carrier networks recovered from severe winter storms, the report said.
“Considerable increases in contract rates are likely for the truckload market. After a four-year bottoming phase of the for-hire cycle, we believe we’ve moved to the early cycle phase where capacity becomes short and rates rise.”
Data used in the indexes comes from freight bills paid by Cass, a provider of payment management solutions. Cass processes $37 billion in freight payables annually on behalf of customers.
March 23, 2026
Trucking Update
National trucking capacity is about to tighten significantly
· Sunday, March 22, 2026
The freight market momentum is building at a rapid clip. National dry van spot rates — tracked via the SONAR National Truckload Index (NTI.USA), the 7-day moving average of booked rates including fuel — have broken out to a new cycle high of $2.89 per mile. This represents the strongest level since 2022 and confirms the market’s shift toward carriers is gaining real traction.
Chart: SONAR National Truckload Rate Index (NTI.USA) GoSONAR.com
Even more telling: rates jumped $0.12 per mile in the past week alone. That’s a sharp weekly gain that underscores accelerating tightness and carrier pricing power. Spot rates have now recaptured roughly $0.50–$0.60 per mile net of fuel over recent months, climbing from the low $2.00s that defined much of 2023–2024. We’re witnessing 20–25% year-over-year recovery in key lanes and metrics, with volumes holding at multi-year highs reminiscent of late 2022.
This isn’t isolated noise — it’s driven by fundamentals. The return of industrial demand remains the core engine, with stronger manufacturing signals, flatbed activity, and overall domestic freight resilience putting sustained pressure on a shrunken truckload supply. Multi-year carrier attrition (exits, driver regulations, and structural challenges) has left capacity thin, making the market highly responsive to any demand pickup. National tender rejection rates sit stubbornly in the low-to-mid teens (around 13–14% recently), with the Midwest still leading above 18% and tightness now spreading more broadly.
Seasonal layers are piling on:
- Produce season is ramping in major growing regions.
- Construction is accelerating as weather improves.
- Gardening and home improvement demand is building.
- Beverage season is gearing up for warmer months.
These verticals compound the industrial rebound, further squeezing available trucks.
The West Coast awakening adds a powerful pull. Chinese New Year landed later this year (February 17, 2026, vs. earlier in prior cycles), prolonging the post-CNY slowdown and keeping Southern California unusually loose into early March (outbound rejections below 5%). But the rebound is hitting hard now: inbound containers are surging, outbound tenders are recovering, and rejections are set to rise meaningfully.
This creates a classic “magnet” for capacity. Long-haul carriers chase West-to-East port loads for their superior length of haul (1,500–2,000+ miles per move) versus shorter eastern runs that demand multiple loads for equivalent paid miles. As trucks reposition westward from Midwest/Southeast corridors (along I-35 and parallels) to capture higher-paying outbound freight via I-20 and I-40, interior markets face no relief — expect even tighter conditions back east. The Midwest’s industrial strength and elevated rejections mean any capacity drain will intensify pressure, not ease it.
Broader indicators align:
- Tender rejection rates remain high nationally, with seasonal builds accelerating the spread.
- Dry van spot rates continue rising on resilient volumes and persistent constraints.
- Ocean bookings are starting to recover sharply from Chinese New Year
The bottom line: Spring 2026 is igniting hotter and earlier than recent years. The $2.89 cycle high — fueled by a $0.12 weekly jump — reflects tightening capacity, resurgent industrial demand, seasonal verticals firing up, and the delayed-but-powerful post-CNY import surge creating synchronized tightness. Shippers unprepared for higher costs are under immediate strain, with routing guides tested early. Carriers positioned for West Coast outbound, industrial, and seasonal lanes are capturing the gains as capacity reallocates — but back east, conditions are set to tighten further as carriers shift their focus towards the West to East longhaul.
Monitor SONAR outbound rejections and spot rates from Southern California over the next 2–4 weeks, alongside Midwest/Southeast trends. The speed of this spread will show how broad and sustained the impact becomes.
The spring shipping season is just getting started — and it’s going to be a hot one.
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