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

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“This quarter’s results reflect a continuing weak set of economic conditions,” said Ivan Seidenberg, chairman of Business Roundtablee and chairman and CEO of “Conditions while still negative – appear to have begun to stabilize.” The D.C.-basef association of CEOs represent a combined workforce of nearly 10 million employeews and more than $5 trillion in annual sales. When asked how they anticipate their sales to fluctuat e in the next six 34 percent said they will increase while 46 percent predicteda decrease. That is a sunnier forecastf over the first quarter outlook when just 24 percent predicted an increasedin sales. In termes of how their U.S.
capital spending will changed overthat time, 12 percent foresee it goiny up, while 51 percent see it decreasing. Few (6 percent) expec their U.S. employment to increase in the next six while 49 percent anticipate their employee base to contracgtin size. That shows an improvement from the first quarteroutlook survey, when 71 percenr predicted a drop in In terms of the overall U.S. economy, member CEOs estimate real GDP will dropby 2.1 percengt in 2009, down from the CEOs’ estimatse of a 1.9 percent decline in the firsft quarter of 2009. The outlook index -- whicg combines member CEO projectionsfor sales, capital spending and employment in the six monthsa ahead -- expanded to 18.
5 in the secondx quarter, up from negative 5.0 in the firs quarter. An index readingb of 50 or lower is consistent with overalo economic contraction and a reading of 50 or higher is consistentrwith expansion.