Survey: CEOs still foresee negative conditions - South Florida Business Journal:

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“This quarter’s results reflect a continuing weak set ofeconomicd conditions,” said Ivan Seidenberg, chairman of Business Roundtable and chairmah and CEO of “Conditions – whil e still negative – appear to have begum to stabilize.” The D.C.-based association of CEOs represent a combines workforce of nearly 10 million employeesw and more than $5 trillion in annual sales. When asked how they anticipatwe their sales to fluctuate in the next six 34 percent said they will increase while 46 percent predicteda decrease. That is a sunnier forecasf over the first quarteroutlook survey, when just 24 perceny predicted an increase in In terms of how their U.S.
capital spending will change overthat time, 12 percent foresee it going up, while 51 percentt see it decreasing. Few (6 expect their U.S. employment to increase in the next six while 49 percent anticipate their employere base to contractin size. That show s an improvement from the first quarteroutlook survey, when 71 percent predictef a drop in employment. In termsd of the overall U.S. economy, member CEOs estimate real GDP will dropby 2.1 perceny in 2009, down from the estimate of a 1.9 percent decline in the firsrt quarter of 2009. The outlook index -- which combines member CEO projectionsfor sales, capital spending and employmen in the six months ahead -- expanded to 18.
5 in the seconxd quarter, up from negative 5.0 in the first quarter. An index reading of 50 or lowed is consistent with overall economic contractioj and a reading of 50 or highef is consistentwith expansion.