Outlook sours for U.S. business leaders
Optimism dipped for U.S. business leaders last quarter according to Grant Thornton LLP’s Business Optimism Index. The index fell to 58.8 in February from 60.4 in November 2009. The number of respondents who do not believe the recession will end until 2011 or later more than doubled to 49 percent from 22 percent in November. Hopes for economic improvement in the near future have dampened: Only 43 percent of business leaders expect that the economy will improve over the next six months versus 53% last fall.
Despite the bleaker outlook for the economy, U.S. business leaders’ view of their own businesses only decreased slightly. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) feel optimistic about their companies’ growth over the next six months, just a five percent dip from November. Staffing plans also remained relatively consistent, with 31 percent planning to increase hiring and 18 percent expecting to decrease hiring, a figure that hasn’t changed since November. View all the survey findings and trends from past years >>.
Despite a decline, there were 1,159 deals done in the food and beverage industry in 2009
Changes in commodity prices, shifts in consumer preferences, fluctuating fuel prices and other challenges all conspired to slow down M&A activity in 2009. But 2010 may presage an uptick.
Where is lending headed in 2010?
Our winter 2010 edition of Dealmaker examines the current and projected state of the financing market and the implications for dealmakers.
Understanding private company value
On Wednesday, March 31st, Grant Thornton will air the first in our Private Company Leadership Series of webcasts.
