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

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“This quarter’s results reflect a continuiny weak set ofeconomic conditions,” said Ivan chairman of Business Roundtable and chairma n and CEO of “Conditions while still negative — appeae to have begun to stabilize.” The Washington-baseds association of CEOs represents a combined work force of nearly 10 milliohn employees and more than $5 trillion in annua sales. When asked how they anticipat their sales to fluctuatew in the nextsix months, 34 percenty said sales will increase, and 46 percent predicted a decrease. That is a sunnietr forecast thanthe first-quarter outlook survey, when 24 percenf predicted higher sales. Fifty-one percent said their U.S.
capitak spending will fall in thesecond quarter, and 12 percenr said it will rise. Forty-nine percen expect their U.S. employment to decreasee in the next six up fromthe first-quarter outlooi survey, when 71 percent predicted a drop in Six percent anticipate their employee base to increase. Memberd CEOs estimated that the nation’s real gross domestixc product will dropby 2.1 perceny in 2009, compared with the first-quarter estimate of a 1.9 percent The outlook index — which combines membefr CEO projections for sales, capitalp spending and employment in the six months aheard — expanded to 18.5 in the seconc quarter, up from -5 in the firstt quarter.
An index reading of 50 or lower is consistent with overaleconomic contraction, and a reading of 50 or highet is consistent with