By Andy Serwer

Big companies are paying up to keep their executives safe. Even before the horrific Park Avenue shootings in New York on April 28, security expenditures for C-suite executives of the 500 largest U.S. public companies were rising sharply, according to a new study by research firm Equilar.

The study found that 34% of executives at these companies received security perks in 2024, up from 23% of them in 2020. The median security spend for executives climbed to $106,500 in 2024 from $48,500 in 2020.

The report notes that tech and communication services companies saw the biggest jump in security spending. Nvidia increased its security spend to $2.2 million last year from $656,000 in 2023. ServiceNow increased its expenditure to $2.1 million in 2024 from $67,000 in 2023.

But other industries are also at risk. Paul Donahue, president of global security services at Constellis, notes in the Equilar report that "industries -- and brands -- that are deeply embedded in the daily lives of citizens are more likely to be focal points for security concerns and public scrutiny." That includes sectors like healthcare, oil and gas, electric utilities, the automotive industry, and food suppliers.

In the New York attack, a shooter killed two security personnel and two executives. "For at least the next 18 to 24 months, a certain level of security paranoia is warranted," Donahue says.

Write to Andy Serwer at andy.serwer@barrons.com

Last Week

Markets

Tariffs were the focus of the week, but markets tuned out the noise. On Thursday, levies kicked in on dozens of countries after months of extensions. The U.S. hit India with an additional 25% as punishment for buying Russian oil. That's on top of the 25% it already faces. President Donald Trump put a roughly 100% duty on semiconductors, exempting tech companies that invest in U.S. manufacturing. Gold hit a high on Friday, then pared gains after the White House said it would clarify "misinformation" about tariffs on the precious metal. Trump nominated economist Stephen Miran to fill a Federal Reserve Board vacancy. On the week, the Nasdaq Composite index gained 3.9%, hitting a new high, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.35%, and the S&P 500 climbed 2.4%.

Companies

Apple will invest $100 billion in the U.S., bringing the total to $600 billion over four years. Firefly Aerospace started trading Thursday at $70 a share, 56% above its offering price, but slumped 17% a day later. Trump called on Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to resign following questions over his ties to Chinese firms. OpenAI unveiled its newest AI model, GPT-5. Trump is considering a public offering for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as soon as this year.

Deals

Tesla gave CEO Elon Musk a $23.7 billion stock award to stick around for at least two years... Walt Disney struck a deal with the National Football League for control of key media assets, in exchange for a 10% stake in ESPN.

This Week

Tuesday 8/12

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the consumer price index for July. Consensus estimate is for a 2.8% year-over-year increase, one-tenth of a percentage point more than in June. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, is expected to rise 3%, compared with 2.9% previously. Traders have priced in a 90% chance of an interest-rate cut at the FOMC's mid-September meeting, up from 40% before the release of the jobs report on Aug. 1, which showed a weakening labor market. But with two CPI prints before the FOMC meeting expected to show accelerating inflation, the other side of the Fed's dual mandate will help determine whether the White House gets the rate cut it covets.

Wednesday 8/13

A strong second-quarter earnings season winds down with nearly 90% of S&P 500 index companies having reported results. Of those, more than 80% have beaten earnings-per-share estimates, while about 80% have surpassed sales expectations. This week, Cisco Systems releases earnings on Wednesday, followed by Applied Materials and Deere on Thursday.

Friday 8/15

The Census Bureau reports retail sales data for July. Economists forecast a 0.5% month-over-month increase, after a 0.6% gain in June.

The Numbers

$12 B

Global auto makers' losses from President Trump's tariff wars, their biggest hit since the pandemic.

$443 B

Palantir's market value after strong earnings. It's now in the top 20 in the S&P 500 just five years after its IPO.

6

Number of departing IRS commissioners this year. Trump fired the sitting chief, Billy Long, on Friday.

8%

Portion of actively managed large-cap U.S. stock funds that beat their passive rivals over the past 10 years.

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August 08, 2025 20:02 ET (00:02 GMT)

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