Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Elevate: Push Beyond Your Limits'
The Marketing Minute: The First Step to More Sales—Marketing
It’s Only Common Sense: Customer Service Is Sales in Disguise
CEO Economic Outlook Shows Modest Improvement
June 15, 2016 | Business WireEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
CEO economic expectations for sales, capital expenditures and hiring have moved modestly upward, but GDP growth expectations have dipped, indicating the United States still has far to go to achieve sustained growth, according to the Business Roundtable second quarter 2016 CEO Economic Outlook Survey, released today.
The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index — a composite of CEO projections for sales and plans for capital spending and hiring over the next six months — increased modestly from 69.4 in the first quarter of 2016 to 73.5 in the second quarter. The Index remains below its historical average of 79.8 but well above 50, indicating continued economic expansion.
CEO expectations for sales over the next six months improved by 0.8 points, while plans for capital expenditures moved up by 8.1 points, relative to last quarter. Expectations for hiring increased by 3.5 points from last quarter.
However, in their third estimate of real GDP growth for 2016, CEOs expect 2.1% growth, down from their 2.2% estimate in the first quarter of 2016.
“Increased plans for near-term sales, investment and hiring indicates modest economic improvement,” said Doug Oberhelman, Chairman & CEO of Caterpillar Inc., and Chairman of Business Roundtable. “But the CEO estimate for barely more than 2 percent GDP growth this year points to an economy that continues to perform below its potential. Unfortunately, it’s more of the same ‘one step forward, one step back’ we’ve been experiencing for a number of years now. We need sustained, healthy growth, which would be aided by enactment of pro-growth policies, such as ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership and updating our outdated tax system. Absent that, the U.S. economy will continue to be stuck in the slow lane.”
Second Quarter 2016 Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index
The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index — a composite index of CEO plans for the next six months of sales, capital spending and employment—increased from 69.4 in the first quarter of 2016 to 73.5 in the second quarter of 2016. The long-term average of the Index is 79.8.
About the Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Survey
The Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Survey, conducted quarterly since the fourth quarter of 2002, provides a forward-looking view of the economy by Business Roundtable member CEOs.
The survey is designed to provide a picture of the future direction of the U.S. economy by asking CEOs to report their plans for their company’s sales, capex and employment in the next six months. The data are used to create the Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index and sub-indices for sales, capex and hiring expectations — diffusion indices that range between -50 and 150 — where readings at 50 or above indicate an economic expansion, and readings below 50 indicate an economic contraction. A diffusion index is defined as the percentage of respondents who report that a measure will increase, minus the percentage who report that the measure will decrease.
Share on:
Suggested Items
ViTrox’s HITS 5.0 Empowers Global Partners with Innovative Solutions and Stronger Bonds
07/16/2025 | ViTroxViTrox, strives to be the World’s Most Trusted Technology Company, proudly announces the successful conclusion of its fifth edition of High Impact Training for Sales (HITS 5.0), held from 23rd to 27th June 2025 at ViTrox Campus 2.0 and 3.0, located in Batu Kawan Industrial Park, Penang, Malaysia.
The Marketing Minute: The First Step to More Sales—Marketing
07/16/2025 | Brittany Martin -- Column: The Marketing MinuteIn today’s competitive B2B landscape, marketing is no longer just a support role; it’s the starting line. Before a PO is ever submitted, marketing has already laid the foundation for the sale. These days, buyers are more informed, selective, and self-guided than ever, and marketing is how they find, evaluate, and build trust in your company.
It’s Only Common Sense: Customer Service Is Sales in Disguise
07/14/2025 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseCustomer service is one of the most powerful sales tools a business can deploy. Every interaction—whether they're calling to ask a question, complain, or inquire about your hours—is an opportunity to build your brand, create loyalty, and drive sales.
ViTrox Announces Strategic Partnership with Maxim SMT to Strengthen Presence in India
07/04/2025 | ViTroxViTrox, which aims to be the World’s Most Trusted Technology Company, is proud to announce the appointment of Maxim SMT as its new Sales Channel Partner in India, effective 1st June 2025.
Stop Using Spreadsheets—and You Can Quote Me on That
07/03/2025 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 MagazineMeeting changing business needs and a thriving market sometimes means process efficiencies. Not all those efficiency improvements take place on the shop floor, however. For EMS companies, growth can also mean changing out the business operations software to have one more chance to close a business deal that better aligns with the company’s sweet spot. One of the pressing issues for EMS companies is the great deal of attention on sales and quoting software solutions and how to make them perform better. Chintan Sutaria, the founder and former CEO of CalcuQuote now working on other projects at OpenJar, explains.