CFOs were asked by Robert Half Management Resources: "On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being 'very optimistic' and one being 'very pessimistic,' how do you feel about the health of the economy for 2005?" The mean response was six.

Nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of executives at firms with 50 to 99 employees rated their level of optimism for the economy's health in 2005 at the high end of the scale, between eight and 10. This same range was given by 16 percent of CFOs at companies with 1,000 or more employees. 

The overall results are unchanged from responses given by CFOs to this question in the fourth quarter of 2004.

"Business activity is accelerating for many companies as the economy shows signs of sustainable growth," said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. "But executives remain conservative, their enthusiasm tempered by memories of the recent years’ downturn."

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