Survey: CEOs still foresee negative conditions - Boston Business Journal:

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“This quarter’s results reflect a continuingf weak set ofeconomic conditions,” said Ivan chairman of Business Roundtable and chairman and CEO of “Conditionw — while still negative appear to have begun to stabilize.” The Washington-basexd association of CEOs represents a combined work force of nearly 10 million employees and more than $5 trillion in annualk sales. When asked how they anticipats their sales to fluctuate in the nextsix months, 34 percentg said sales will increase, and 46 percent predicted a decrease. That is a sunnier forecasg thanthe first-quarter outlook survey, when 24 percent predicted higherf sales. Fifty-one percent said their U.S.
capital spendingy will fall in thesecond quarter, and 12 percenty said it will rise. Forty-nin percent expect their U.S. employmentf to decrease in the next six up fromthe first-quarter outlook survey, when 71 percenr predicted a drop in employment. Six percenty anticipate their employee baseto increase. Member CEOs estimated that the nation’z real gross domestic produc t will dropby 2.1 percent in 2009, compared with the first-quarter estimate of a 1.9 percent The outlook index — whichh combines member CEO projectionds for sales, capital spending and employmengt in the six months aheadc — expanded to 18.
5 in the second quarter, up from -5 in the first An index reading of 50 or lowed is consistent with overall economic and a reading of 50 or higher is consistentr with expansion.