17th Annual Global CEO Survey

PwC's 17th Annual Global CEO Survey provides an inside look into how CEOs feel about the global economy, the growth prospects for their own companies and details on the challenges that they feel they are facing in the areas of technology, demographics and globalization. Survey Highlights:

• Twice as many CEOs believe the global economy will improve in the next 12 months (44%), compared to those polled last year (18%). Yet this has only led to a small rise in confidence about business revenue growth prospects in 2014. Only 39% of CEOs are very confident about their company’s growth prospects, versus 36% last year.
• As CEOs' viewpoint on the economy slants upward, their major concerns have also changed. Government action, or the lack of it, tops the list of CEO worries. The level of concern about over-regulation at 72% and fiscal deficits at 71% are as high as they have ever been. Countries where CEOs are particularly worried about over regulation include France 88%, Australia 85%, India 82% and Germany 77%. In the US it is fiscal deficits that have CEOs most worried with 92% CEOs expressing concern, followed by Argentina at 90% and France at 84%.
• CEOs think the following three fundamental external forces will have the most impact on their businesses over the next five years: technological advances, demographic changes, and global economic shifts.