The finding comes from the latest survey results from Fortune and Deloitte, which collaborate on an ongoing survey to ask CEOs from the Fortune 500, Fortune Global 500, and other select executives about their economic outlook.
In the latest survey, conducted in February among 107 respondents, 27% of CEOs reported optimism about the future of the global economy over the next 12 months, up from 7% in October 2023. CEOs’ outlook for their own company also brightened, with 22% saying they were “very optimistic,” up from 10% in October 2023. CEOs’ inflation fears decreased further, with 27% citing it as one of their top three concerns compared to 51% previously.
And while optimism grew, pessimism decreased. Just 24% of CEOs reported pessimism about the future of the global economy over the next 12 months, and no one said they were “very pessimistic” in the winter survey.
This marks the highest level of optimism over the past 12 months.
Some other findings from the survey, which can be found in full here:
- Seventy-six percent of CEOs expect interest rates to ease by the end of September, but only 28% anticipate a move in the second quarter already.
- Fifty-six percent of CEOs said their companies are using generative AI to increase efficiencies, up from 39% in the October 2023 survey.
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