CFO confidence hits three-year low as economic woes mount

1 in 5 expect growth to contract this year.

Optimism among chief financial officers (CFOs) in Singapore dropped to a three-year low in 2016, according to a report by American Express,

Almost a fourth or 24% of executives expect that the economy will contract modestly this year, while 72% said that they will moderate spending to support revenue growth and improve profitability.

Despite economic jitters, 97% of CFOs expect to increase spending this year, while 87% of executives expect to increase hiring.

Among the 15 countries surveyed, the largest declines in confidence were from business leaders in China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Within the Asia Pacific region, only CFOs in Australia (64% versus 60% on 2015) expect the economy to do better this year from 2015.

Worldwide 65% of the business leaders surveyed said they are positive about growth, down from 71% last year. Latin American’s bullish growth expectation of 73% topped the global charts with North America coming in at second at 71%. For the first time in the survey’s history, confidence in Asia/Australia has dipped lower than that for Europe.

The people you want to reach are already in this room.

Every quarter, SBR lands on the desks of the founders, CFOs, and directors running Asia's most consequential companies. Every day, they open our newsletter and read our website. It's a room that took twenty years to build — and it's the one most of our partners are trying to get into.

The good news is that the door is open. We work with companies on thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. The shape of the right partnership depends on what you're trying to do, which is why we'd rather start with a conversation than send a rate card.

If you have something this room should know about, tell us. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how.

No rate cards until we understand the brief. It's a better use of everyone's time.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia