By: GZ on Mercoledì 12 Settembre 2007 23:07
i direttori finanziari americani sono ultra-pessimisti
dovrebbe essere gente abbastanza informata
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CFOs' Optimism Plummets to Six-Year Low
Finance executives blame their more pessimistic attitudes on weak consumer demand, wage inflation, and problems in the credit market.
Sarah Johnson, CFO.com
September 12, 2007
CFOs' optimism about the U.S. economy has taken a nosedive. In fact, it has sunk to the lowest level on record, according to the latest results of the quarterly Duke University/CFO Business Outlook Survey.
Nearly two-thirds of CFOs are feeling more pessimistic this quarter than they did three months ago, the survey of 580 U.S. finance executives says. Only 13.6 percent of the survey respondents reported feeling more optimistic than last quarter. Those numbers reflect a six-year nadir, the lowest level since the survey began in June 2001. "With pessimists greatly outnumbering optimists, the prospects for the U.S. economy are very poor, with a recession a distinct possibility," said John Graham, director of the survey and a finance professor at Duke's Fuqua School of Business.
Those executives revealed why their expectations are so bleak: they expect slow growth in earnings, capital spending (3.2 percent over the next year), and acquisitions, and no growth at all in hiring. And they're worried about higher labor costs and weak consumer demand. "CFOs see a gathering storm that includes slashed advertising spending, slow tech spending, and the most lethargic employment picture in four years," says Campbell Harvey, another Duke professor.