New Year Brings Renewed Optimism

2008 Outlook Brightens: Jobs and investment are in the offing for the U.S. economy, according to an annual poll of executives at the nation’s largest companies. CEOs expect the U.S. economy to perform at least slightly better in 2008. The Business Roundtable, a Washington-based association of CEOs, says top executives expect to outlay greater sums for capital investments, hire more people and produce higher sales during the first half of the year. Working against those goals, however, are spiraling costs of employee health care and energy. The Business Roundtable produces a survey, known as the CEO Economic Outlook Index, which assesses the relative comfort level of executives regarding economic and business conditions. The recent index is pegged at 79.5, which is about two points higher than the fourth quarter of 2006.