It took a while, but many CFOs finally seem to be looking forward—with anticipation, not anxiety. Worries over the currency crisis in Europe and possible slowdowns in China and the U.S. appear to have eased. Moreover, many companies have the means to grow organically and internationally. Little wonder that the latest Global CFO Signals, which provides highlights of recent CFO survey results from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited member firms, shows improved optimism among CFOs in many of the 16 countries and/or regions reporting.
Driving that optimism is a palpable sense of relief. CFOs' perceptions of macroeconomic and financial uncertainty in the UK, for example, have dropped to a two-and-a half-year low. But it's not all good news. In Belgium, a quarter of CFOs do not expect growth there before 2015. And more than half of China's CFOs expressed doubt about a recovery in U.S. and Europe—although most were confident their own country could meet its annual GDP target.
Still, CFOs may have no choice but to move forward. And given this current window of financial and economic "stability," CFOs finally have the comfort level to pursue expansionary tactics—as well as the long memories to remind them to remain vigilant.
Download the Q1 2013 Global CFO Signals report to learn more.
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