Speech
What’s Ahead? Learning From The CFO Survey
Abstract: Firms are currently navigating extraordinary uncertainty. The decisions they make about hiring, spending and investment will have implications for GDP growth, employment and inflation. Business sentiment surveys like The CFO Survey help us understand those decisions. The latest survey shows that CFOs are feeling slightly more optimistic than they were last quarter, although they remain concerned about demand and revenue. Firms also remain cautious about investing. The survey also suggests that employment will lag spending. Many firms have streamlined their operations in response to the pandemic, and others report that they are concerned about the “availability and quality of labor” despite high unemployment. CFOs also raised their expectations for wage and price increases in 2021, potentially due to supply chain challenges. If demand were to resurge, we could see pressure on near-term pricing.
Access Documents
File(s):
File format is text/html
https://www.richmondfed.org/press_room/speeches/thomas_i_barkin/2020/barkin_speech_20201015
Description: Speech
Authors
Bibliographic Information
Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
Part of Series: Speech
Publication Date: 2020-10-15