As winter fades into the spring, optimism is on the rise — 43% of finance executives share a sunnier outlook on the U.S. economy, according to the latest quarterly survey released by AICPA & CIMA.
Pessimism about the U.S. economy plummeted 20 points since the fourth quarter of 2023 and now stands at 23%, in line with a 19-point boost in optimism.
Forty-nine percent of leaders say they are optimistic about their organizations — the highest organizational optimism number since the first quarter of 2022, when it was 58%.
Expansion plans grew slightly, with 53% now expecting to expand their businesses. In a six-point drop, only 19% of leaders expect to contract their businesses in the next year.
The survey polled 275 CPA decision-makers — primarily CFOs and controllers — between Feb. 6 and Feb. 28 about various economic topics. See more survey results.