The January 2017 NABE Business Conditions Survey report presents the responses of 102 NABE members to a survey on business conditions in their firms or industries conducted between December 22, 2016, and January 11, 2017, and reflects fourth-quarter 2016 results and the near-term outlook.
COMMENTS: “The results of the most recent NABE Business Conditions Survey suggest a fairly robust business environment in the final months of 2016,” says NABE President Stuart Mackintosh, CBE, executive director, Group of Thirty. “Although profit margins remained flat, sales growth is becoming more widespread, and firms expect to achieve higher margins in the first quarter of 2017 through firmer pricing for their products and services. At the same time, materials cost pressures also appear to be increasing. Panelists also raised their expectations for economic growth by a fairly substantial margin, with just over two-thirds now expecting GDP growth above 2% in 2017.”
“Recent interest rate increases do not appear to be generating significant headwinds across firms in the NABE survey, although the reported impacts vary by sector,” noted Survey Chair Emily Kolinski Morris, CBE, chief economist, Ford Motor Company. “Firms continue to face policy uncertainty, but our panelists see a mix of risks and opportunities in the potential policy agenda of the new administration.”
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