Pessimism About Economy Grows

Two major surveys of corporate financial executives this week show a stark contrast hiring outlook but are in agreement that optimism about economic growth is dropping. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, which maintains an office in Durham, found only 12 percent of chief executive officers, chief financial officers and other financial executives surveyed planned to expand payrolls over the next 12 months.

On Wednesday, a survey of CFOs from Duke University and CFO Magazine found that 60 percent of companies were planning to hire. Like the Duke-CFO survey, however, the AICPA report found a drop in optimism about economic growth. Its overall CPA Outlook Index declined by two points to 67 on a scale of 0-100 with 50 considered neutral. The index dropped for the first time after two quarters of growth.

“What we're seeing is the same ‘two steps forward, one step back’ cycle we encountered last year,” said Arleen Thomas, the AICPA’s senior vice president for management accounting. “There's no question survey takers have grown more pessimistic about the U.S. economy, and with expectations muted for profit, revenue and employment growth, there appear to be few catalysts to change that view.” Read more >>