A (non)comprehensive list of people who feel great right now? Kids out of school for summer; their exhausted teachers who (hopefully) can get a breather.
And a (non)comprehensive list of people who don’t feel so good? Financial decision-makers, according to the latest Economic Outlook survey from the AICPA and CIMA.
The survey, which polled 328 CPA decision-makers (largely CEOs, CFOs, and controllers), found that optimism about the US economy within that group dipped from 67% in Q4 2024 to 47% in the first quarter of this year. Now, for Q2, it’s down to 27%.
Optimism about their own businesses also fell significantly, with just 37% of executives expressing optimism about their current prospects. That’s down from 50% last quarter.
But don’t worry: Financial decision-makers aren’t just worried about the US economy and their own companies. They’re also worried about the global economy. The fun never stops!
The survey found optimism about the global economy dipped to just 19% this quarter, down from 29% in Q1.
As a result of all of this glass-half-empty energy, hiring plans and revenue forecasts are also seeing setbacks. Revenue forecasts for the next year declined to a 1% increase for the current quarter, down from a 3% increase in Q1. On the hiring front, only 14% of companies had plans to hire.
“We’re seeing a lot of revised expectations: delayed hiring and investment, pared-back expansion plans, lowered key performance indicators,” Tom Hood, EVP of business growth and engagement at the AICPA, said in a statement.
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