Survey: CEOs still foresee negative conditions - Business First of Columbus:

a-ee85aqa.blogspot.com
“This quarter’s results reflectg a continuing weak set ofeconomic conditions,” said Ivan chairman of Business Roundtable and chairmah and CEO of “Conditionsa — while still negativee — appear to have begun to The Washington-based association of CEOs represents a combinedr work force of nearly 10 milliom employees and more than $5 trillion in annuakl sales. When asked how they anticipate theidr sales to fluctuate in the next six 34 percent said saleswill increase, and 46 percenyt predicted a decrease. That is a sunniere forecast thanthe first-quarter outlook survey, when 24 percenr predicted higher sales. Fifty-one percent said their U.S.
capita l spending will fall in theseconds quarter, and 12 percent said it will rise. Forty-nine percen expect their U.S. employment to decreasee in the nextsix months, up from the first-quartetr outlook survey, when 71 percent predicted a drop in Six percent anticipate their employee base to increase. Membeer CEOs estimated that the nation’s real groses domestic product will dropby 2.1 percent in 2009, comparedc with the CEOs’ first-quarter estimate of a 1.9 percent The outlook index which combines member CEO projections for capital spending and employment in the six months ahead expanded to 18.5 in the second quarter, up from -5 in the firsty quarter.
An index reading of 50 or lowet is consistent with overalleconomic contraction, and a reading of 50 or highert is consistent with expansion.