CFOs More Optimistic

Chief Financial Officers say they are a lot more optimistic about the economy in this last quarter of 2010 than they were just a few months ago.

More than 800 CFOs from across the country – representing public and private companies – were surveyed by Duke University and CFO Magazine. 

Kate O’Sullivan is Senior Editor at CFO Magazine.  She says 50-percent of the CFOs surveyed say their companies plan on spending money in the new year on everything from research and development to full-time hiring.

"They brought their cost structure down so much over the past couple of years, that really looking forward they have some room for growth.  And they’re doing their budgets for 2011 and they actually have some budget to work with, which is a nice feeling."

O’Sullivan says CFOs even expect wages to rise 2.5 percent next year.