US finance leaders wary as pandemic impacts continue
Optimism is higher than in the third quarter, but plenty of obstacles remain, according to the AICPA’s quarterly economic outlook.
By Andrew Kenney
Finance leaders regained some confidence about the U.S. economy, but their outlook remained far darker than it was before the coronavirus pandemic, according to the fourth-quarter Business & Industry Economic Outlook Survey released Thursday by the AICPA.
About 37% of respondents contacted Nov. 10–Dec. 2 were optimistic about the domestic economy. That represents a significant gain from the third quarter, when just 24% expressed optimism. The nine-segment CPA Outlook Index, a broad measure of sentiment, rose to 62 from 54 the last quarter (see the chart below). For some, a new viral outbreak threatened to wrest the gains of a meager recovery, but the pandemic also had opened up new possibilities.