Executives across the globe expect recovery in the next six months

26 Mar 2012 Evaluate

Executives across the globe expect an improvement in the economic scenario in the first quarter of this year, as per a report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. However it is unlikely that the sentiment will translate into greater investments as there is still an underlying air of caution. The report which is based on an online survey saw participation from 2,060 executives. About 42% of them said that conditions are better now as compared to six months ago and about 48% expect them to get better in the coming six months. This number is significantly up from the 26 % in a similar survey in December 2011.

India leads the optimism with 65% of the executives feeling that conditions will improve for the better. While the numbers stood at 59% and 48% for North America and ‘developed Asia’. The euro zone too has received encouraging numbers as increasing number of people feel that conditions will be better in the next six months.

However it is unlikely that this optimism will translate in to investments as about 30% of respondents said that their companies are postponing or deciding not to pursue capital investments. About 24% said their companies are postponing M&A decisions that would typically be considered for growth.

Around 58% of the respondents felt that rising oil prices would impede growth while 31% cited geopolitical instability as a barrier to growth. Executives also reported smaller changes with respect to their companies' hiring and investment decisions. 48% reportedly said that they expect the size of their companies' workforce to stay the same, 32% expected an increase, and 18% expected a decrease.

 

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