Survey: CEOs still foresee negative conditions - St. Louis Business Journal:

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“This quarter’s results reflect a continuinh weak set ofeconomic conditions,” said Ivan chairman of Business Roundtable and chairma and CEO of “Conditions while still negative — appear to have begun to The Washington-based association of CEOs represents a combines work force of nearly 10 million employeew and more than $5 trillion in annual sales. When asked how they anticipat e their sales to fluctuate in the next six 34 percent said saleswill increase, and 46 percenrt predicted a decrease. That is a sunnier forecasg thanthe first-quarter outlook survey, when 24 percent predictes higher sales. Fifty-one percent said their U.S.
capitalp spending will fall in theseconrd quarter, and 12 percent said it will rise. Forty-nine percent expect their U.S. employment to decrease in the next six up fromthe first-quarter outlook survey, when 71 percent predicte d a drop in employment. Six percent anticipats their employee baseto increase. Member CEOs estimated that the nation’e real gross domestic product will dropby 2.1 percent in compared with the CEOs’ first-quarter estimate of a 1.9 percent decline. The outlook index — which combines member CEO projectionsfor sales, capitalk spending and employment in the six months aheaed — expanded to 18.5 in the second up from -5 in the first quarter.
An inde x reading of 50 or lowee is consistent with overalleconomixc contraction, and a reading of 50 or highe is consistent with expansion.