With a less-clear, less-robust future ahead, CFOs get more careful about how they spend corporate cash.
CFO are preserving cash in anticipation of rough times ahead. But they are also more optimistic about the domestic economy than they were three months ago.
The 266,000 jobs gain shows the labor market "is continuing to provide the key foundation for the U.S. economy.”
“We took this step to help keep the economy strong in the face of global developments and to provide some insurance against ongoing risks."
More so than other executives, COOs and supply chain leaders expect an economic downturn, causing significant harm to the business, within 18 months.
Accommodative monetary stimulus has encouraged financial risk-taking, leading to “worrisome” levels of debt with poor credit quality, the Fund says.
A Duke University/CFO survey highlights growing pessimism about the economy despite record low unemployment and strong consumer spending.
The country is feeling the effects of trade conflicts and global uncertainty.
Institutional investors and analysts express concerns on geopolitical tensions and a slowing global economy.
"There is a very real risk of contraction, which would take the country into a technical recession," an economist warns.
Seize the day and think of a recession as the best time to pass competitors, says Bain & Co.
Finance chiefs still think an economic downturn is coming, but not until 2020, finds the first-quarter Duke/CFO Global Business Outlook Survey.
