Financial professionals are of two minds on the economy, according to the SmartBrief/Ipsos Leadership Index. On the sunny side, they see economic growth, an improving stock market and lower unemployment. But anxiety about the housing market, fuel prices and the trade deficit vex them. Here is a deeper look at the survey findings:
The good news:
- More than two-thirds believe the Dow Jones Industrial Average will end the year above where it is now.
- A similar amount expect U.S. GDP to increase over the next year.
- More than half say that unemployment will continue to decline over the rest of the year.
- 43% expect the U.S. economy in general to strengthen.
And the bad:
- 85% expect fuel prices to continue to climb over the next twelve months.
- 60% believe the trade deficit will continue to increase.
- 52% say that the U.S. economy remains weak.
- 43% say that home prices will continue to decline.
LEADERSHIP INDEX DATA: TECHNICAL NOTE
The new SmartBrief/Ipsos Leadership Index was conducted online between March 28 and April 5 among SmartBrief subscribers in the finance, investment, equities, futures, banking, and equipment leasing and financing industries, as well as CFOs and other financial professionals. Surveys of this size have a margin of error of +/-4 percentage points.
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