Many CEOs see U.S. economy in fair or poor shape, NYSE survey says

NEW YORK -- Business leaders see the U.S. economy’s health as, well, not so good, according to a new survey by the operator of the New York Stock Exchange.

Of public-company chief executives who took part, 89% see the economy as poor or fair, while 88% of small-business CEOs have a similar view, according to the survey by NYSE Euronext.

Still, pessimism at the top has steadily decreased since 2009, when 99% of public-company CEOs saw the economy as fair or poor.

In 2007, when the economy peaked and the real-estate bubble burst, only 16% of the execs had a negative read in the survey. So maybe a sour reading indicates there’s not a crisis or recession looming?

Either way, there is optimism in corporate suites for next year: 79% of public-company CEOs expect growth in 2013, while 60% of small-business chief executives do.

And 64% of public-company CEOs plan to add to their workforces next year, while 61% of small-business leaders plan to keep payrolls about the same.

The survey involved 340 CEOs from companies listed on NYSE Euronext markets and 285 U.S. small-business owners.

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