US: CEO Confidence Fades But Amnericans Slightly Brighter About Economy

The New York Times’ DealBook writes: “Even as consumer confidence wavered in recent quarters, American business leaders found reason for optimism. That C-suite exceptionalism appears to have faded though as President Trump’s trade war and economic slowdown concerns now predominate.

• “The latest report by the Conference Board and the Business Council shows one of the biggest drops in C.E.O. confidence on record. The closely followed tally recorded that C.E.O. confidence in the second quarter dropped to 34 — (a score below 50 reflects a pessimistic mood) — from 60 in the previous quarter.”
• Stephanie Guichard at The Conference Board noted: “CEO Confidence collapsed in Q2 2025 after surging in Q1. All components of the Measure weakened into pessimism territory.”
• CBS noted in a survey yesterday: "Summer begins with Americans' economy ratings continuing to get a bit brighter than they were this winter — though still not good — with their outlook more mixed. But feelings of financial concern and stress are more prevalent than feelings of being secure."
• CBS adds: "Ratings of the economy remain net-negative overall — this has been the case for years — but lately they have been ticking up off the dips they saw in late winter, February and March."

Figure 1: Measure of CEO Confidence

Source: NYT, The Conference Board1