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In contrast to the dwindling confidence of most U.S. consumers, CEOs have not felt as good about the economic outlook as they do now in nearly 20 years.
By the numbers: The Conference Board's latest quarterly reading of CEO confidence rose to its highest since the first quarter of 2004.
- Overall, 82% of CEOs expect economic conditions to improve over the next six months, up from 63% last quarter, the Conference Board reported.
- The percentage of CEOs expecting conditions to worsen was cut in half, dropping to 7% from 15%.
- Similarly, 78% of CEOs anticipate short-term prospects in their own industries to improve, up from 65% in September.
Between the lines: The nine-point jump in CEO confidence followed a 19-point surge in September from the previous survey, rising to 73 for Q1.
- CEO confidence declined to as low as 34 in March 2020. A reading below 50 means more respondents said they were less confident than respondents who said they were more confident during the survey period.