US CEOs Less Bullish About Economy-Survey

[wicket]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&ncid=749&e=2&u=/nm/20041201/bs_nm/economy_businessroundtable_dc

U.S. chief executives have become slightly less optimistic about the economy in the past quarter, but half plan to increase capital spending in the next six months, according to a survey released on Wednesday.

The Business Roundtable's Economic Outlook Index slipped to 98.9 in the December survey from a high of 101.7 in September, reflecting a somewhat less robust employment outlook, a dip in the sales outlook, as well as higher oil prices.

"Overall, while CEOs are forecasting continued solid growth for the next six months, they expect a slight easing from the high recovery growth seen in 2004," said Hank McKinnell, chairman of Business Roundtable and chairman and CEO of Pfizer Inc. in a conference call.

Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs from large U.S. companies, said the survey-- conducted in the first two weeks of November -- found executives expect gross domestic product growth of 3.5 percent in 2005, compared with 4 percent in 2004.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. They certainly live...

In a far different universe...

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. kick

[damntexdem]

3. It's such a pain when ...

your self-interest has to overrule your ideology -- those poor CEOs!

;-)

[wicket]

4. LOL!

:D

[VegasWolf]

5. Can't fool all the people all of the time. n/t

[struggle4progress]

6. It must be time to cut the taxes of the ultra-rich again. eom

[leesa]

7. Imagine that.