CPA business executives report renewed optimism about the economy

CPA business leaders reported higher optimism about the U.S. economy during the first quarter of 2026, while confidence in their own companies’ prospects also improved, according to the latest AICPA and CIMA Economic Outlook Survey.

The survey found that 39% of business executives said they were optimistic about the U.S. economy’s outlook over the next 12 months, rebounding from 28% in the past quarter.

Executives’ outlook for their own companies also improved, increasing six percentage points from 41% in Q4 of 2025 to 47% in Q1 of 2026.

Respondents continued to cite domestic economic conditions as their top concern, followed by employee and benefits costs and the costs of materials, supplies and equipment.

The AICPA and CIMA survey polls CEOs, CFOs, controllers and other CPAs in U.S. companies who hold executive and senior management accounting roles. See more findings.