Bay Area CEO confidence rising - East Bay Business Times:

Bay Area CEO confidence rising - East Bay Business Times:: "East Bay Business Times - December 8, 2006
http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2006/12/04/daily36.html

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Bay Area CEO confidence rising
East Bay Business Times - 9:40 AM PST Friday

Confidence has improved among top executives about the direction of the Bay Area economy, according to a report Friday.

The Bay Area Council said its quarterly business-confidence index derived from an October survey rose two points from the previous quarter to 57 out of a possible 100.

Of the 542 CEOs and top executives surveyed, 45 percent said the local economy will improve in the next six months, versus 16 percent predicting a decline and 39 percent that expect the economy to remain the same.

Santa Clara County executives showed the most confidence in the nine-county region in this regard, with 50 percent of executives representing 139 companies forecasting an improving Bay Area economy for the next six months, compared with 11 percent who said it would worsen.

The confidence was coupled with a continuing strong hiring trend, with more than four times the number of CEOs planning to expand their local work force in the next six months compared with those who plan"