CFOs give the US economy an average score of 44 on a scale of 0 to 100, down from 47 at the beginning of 2011, according to a survey released in December 2011 by Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Insight from the “2012 CFO Outlook” survey indicates that this score is equal to the 2010 score, which was the lowest in the survey’s 14-year history. The global picture looks just as bleak: the global economy now rates lower than the US, at 43, down from 51 at the beginning of 2011.
Meanwhile, only 38% of CFOs expect the US economy to expand in the coming year, down from 56% in last year’s survey. (more…)