Economy & Economic Development  September 30, 2016

CU researchers: Election weighing on Colorado business leaders’ confidence

November’s presidential election is causing some uncertainty for Colorado business leaders entering the fourth quarter, according to the latest Leeds Business Confidence Index released Friday by the University of Colorado’s business school.

The index, which surveys 270 panelists across the state, showed a slight dip in their confidence reading from three months earlier, though it remains in positive territory overall.

The LBCI showed a reading of 53 points entering the fourth quarter, down 1.6 points ahead of the third quarter. A reading of 50 or greater is considered positive.

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Despite the decline, business leaders in the latest survey recorded a slightly rosier reading of 53.2 for the first quarter of 2017.

“The candidates (in the election) support different policies and maybe even approaches beyond policies,” economist Richard Wobbekind, executive director of the Leeds School’s Business Research Division, said in a news release. “So the business community seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach.”

The LBCI measures business confidence across six different areas — the state economy, industry sales, industry profits, capital expenditures, hiring plans and the national economy.

Readings for all metrics except national economy remained positive entering the fourth quarter. But Colorado business leaders’ outlook on the national economy did improve from a reading of 47.2 three months ago to 48.2 now. And their outlook is projected at 51.5 in the first quarter.

The other metrics, while positive, mostly ticked downward, with confidence in profits taking the biggest hit, sliding from a reading of 56.9 three months ago to 52.2 now.

November’s presidential election is causing some uncertainty for Colorado business leaders entering the fourth quarter, according to the latest Leeds Business Confidence Index released Friday by the University of Colorado’s business school.

The index, which surveys 270 panelists across the state, showed a slight dip in their confidence reading from three months earlier, though it remains in positive territory overall.

The LBCI showed a reading of 53 points entering the fourth quarter, down 1.6 points ahead of the third quarter. A reading of 50 or greater is considered positive.

Despite the decline, business leaders in the latest survey recorded a slightly rosier reading of…

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