Business leaders registered a huge shift in positive sentiment about prospects for the U.S. economy and their own organizations in the wake of the recent U.S. presidential election, according to the fourth-quarter AICPA & CIMA Economic Outlook Survey.
The quarterly survey polls CEOs, CFO, controllers and other CPAs in U.S. companies who hold executive and senior management accounting roles.
Key findings of the survey:
- Two-thirds of business leaders now express optimism about the economy.
- All major indicators in survey rise.
- Jobs outlook improves, with 1 in 5 employers looking to hire immediately.
Two-thirds (67%) of business executives said they were optimistic about the economy’s prospects over the next 12 months – a dramatic rise of 41 percentage points from the previous quarter. It’s the highest the measure has reached since early 2020, when it stood at 74 before cratering due to pandemic-related business shutdowns and travel bans.
Inflation reclaimed the top spot for business concerns in the survey. Domestic political leadership, which has ranged from No. 4 to No. 7 on the list over the past three quarters, disappeared from the top 10 altogether.
“Business executives say they’re looking forward to less regulation and more favorable tax policies and we’re seeing that optimism translate into higher profit expectations and revenue estimates,” said Tom Hood, AICPA & CIMA’s executive vice president for business engagement and growth. “Our first quarter 2025 survey, once the new administration’s policies actually begin to be put in place, will offer insight into whether the enthusiasm is sustainable or not.”
