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CEO Economic Outlook Index

CEO Optemism

CEO are more concerned about the economic outlook. We’ll just have to wait and see, however with the layoff happening in tech I’m not holding my breath.

The chief executives of America’s biggest companies are downgrading their views of the economy, which is not as gloomy as in prior recessions.

Why it matters: Economic jitters have not sent CEO confidence diving off a cliff. Their plans for hiring and capital spending are more consistent with growth slowdown than outright economic contraction.

Driving the news: The latest CEO economic outlook index from the Business Roundtable declined 11 points, continuing the steady slide that’s happened every single quarter this year.

  • It’s the first time since 2020 that the index has fallen below its long-run average of 84.
  • The level, however, is similar to that reached in past episodes. It reflects a soft patch, but not a full-blown U.S. recession, like the Eurozone crisis in 2012 and a period of global economic softening in late 2015.

What they’re saying: “With continued supply chain challenges and inflation uncertainty, many CEOs remain cautious about domestic plans and expectations for the next six months,” General Motors CEO Mary Barra, who chairs the Business Roundtable, said in a statement.