By Ross Kerber

Oct 30 (Reuters) - Next week's U.S. presidential election has tested the reflexes of business leaders like none in my memory. Companies have faced direct threats from former Republican President Donald Trump but worry about alienating stakeholders if they speak out, let alone endorse his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Celebrity backers of both parties' candidates seem bolder than many top CEOs. Maybe that's because the celebrities are better known, according to a review by a market research firm. You can read up below.

I'm also including in this week's newsletter links to a story about strikes in Germany and to some news from a "hardware destruction company."

Go ahead and connect with me on LinkedIn. Or you can email me at

Nobody cares about your CEO's endorsement anyway Few top business leaders have taken official stances on next week's U.S. elections, causing heartburn especially among Democrats who have hoped for more explicit backing.

On Monday, for instance, Amazon.com founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos defended the decision of the newspaper not to endorse a presidential candidate, leading some 200,000 readers to cancel their subscriptions.

Explanations include that business leaders fear former President Donald Trump's direct threats against individual companies, or that they don't want to alienate their customers.

Here is an alternative idea: don't worry, nobody cares what your CEO thinks anyway. You can read the data in support of this view by clicking here.

Company News Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, under pressure from activist hedge fund Starboard Value, made his case to Wall Street that the drugmaker's turnaround is succeeding after it reported a higher-than-expected profit due to strong sales of COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid.

Thousands of German workers launched nationwide strikes to press for higher wages, compounding problems for companies worried about staying globally competitive as high costs, weak exports and foreign rivals chip away at their strengths.

The world's largest sovereign wealth fund is falling short on its own climate expectations by failing to vote in support of key shareholder resolutions, a non-governmental organization said on Monday.

On my radar Net withdrawals from U.S. sustainable funds were $2.3 billion in the third quarter, a new report from Morningstar showed, half of the $4.7 billion that clients withdrew in the second quarter of 2024.

ERI, which calls itself the top U.S. "IT and electronics asset disposition provider and cybersecurity-focused hardware destruction company," announced a new trade-in program for customers of retailer Staples to receive a gift card for the value of certain electronic devices.

American companies and government agencies should adopt "second chance" hiring policies for veterans with criminal convictions, according to recommendations of the Veterans Justice Commission of the nonpartisan Council on Criminal Justice.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston; Editing by David Gregorio)

((ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com; (617) 412 0093;))