Businesses express widespread concern over proposed tariff hikes on sales and economic outlook

While overall sentiment has dipped to the lowest level since the 2016 elections, the near-term outlook remains largely in line with the longer-term post-recession norm, suggesting that business fundamentals remain largely unchanged.

Mid-sized companies remain upbeat about the near-term outlook according to our latest poll, suggesting further improvement in national economic performance over the remainder of 2018.

This quarter’s survey results suggest more small and mid-sized business plan to increase hiring, raise wages and invest in their operations. The high confidence is translating into positive economic momentum.

This quarter’s survey results suggest that mid-sized companies remain upbeat about the near-term outlook for their business and the economy, driven in part by tailwinds from federal tax reform legislation.