U.S. CFOs' economic optimism stable despite increasinq qlobal uncertainty

摘要

Nearly half of CFOs expect the U.S. economy to improve during the next six months and only 9% expect it to worsen, according to the Grant Thornton LLP "2014 Fall CFO Survey.' The biannual survey reflects the insights of more than 1,000 CFOs and other senior financial executives across the United States. In spring 2014, 51% of respondents expected the economy to improve during the next six months, compared to 40% in fall 2013 and 45% in the firm's spring 2013 survey. "While it's encouraging that CFOs aren't expecting contraction, they're not predicting significant growth either," said Stephen Chipman, CEO of Grant Thornton. "It's vital that our country's political leaders focus now on resolving this uncertainty by advancing comprehensive tax and entitlement reforms to spur economic growth." Earlier this year, the Grant Thornton "International Business Report" found that 69% of U.S. business leaders are confident in the domestic economy. Eurozone optimism dropped to a net balance of 5%, down 30% from the previous quarter. In particular, German optimism plummeted 43% to just net 36%.