Economic confidence among CEOs continued to decline according to the Q4 2018 survey. The Vistage CEO Confidence Index was 95.4 in Q4, down from 103.0 in Q3 and last year’s fifteen-year peak of 110.3.
Confidence Index Highlights
- 44% of CEOs said the economy had recently improved, a 20 point drop from last quarter.
- 70% of CEOs expect increased revenues in the year ahead. (down from 75%)
- 43% of CEOs expect to increase investment expenditures in the next year. (down from 50%)
- 14% of CEOs expect the economy to post additional gains this year. (down from 25%)
- 61% of CEOs expect increased profits in the year ahead. (unchanged)
- 65% of CEOs plan to expand their workforce in the year ahead. (down from 75%)
Notably, hiring intentions as well as profit expectations showed only small recent variations, although both were below levels recorded earlier this year. The largest disconnect is between the pessimistic outlook for the national economy and the modest declines in how CEOs view their own prospects. For more details, click here.
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