As the Federal Reserve signals it will likely tighten the money supply further, corporate treasurers are scrambling to cope with the impact of more than a year of central bank rate hikes, taking steps like cutting costs and paying down debt. Interest costs at US companies rose by 22% in the first quarter compared to a year earlier, soon after the Federal Reserve started raising rates, according to a recent survey of about 1,700 businesses by Calcbench Inc., a data provider. Electronics giant Apple Inc. and telecom provider Verizon Communications Inc. are among the corporations that have seen their interest costs ... (full story)