CEO optimism rises after Trump wins election

President-elect Trump The electoral victory has increased confidence about the state of the global economy, according to a new study measuring CEO sentiment in the wake of the election.

The survey, conducted by Teneo during the three-week period after the election, included the views of more than 300 global public company executives and 380 institutional investors representing about $10 trillion in company and portfolio value. It was first reported by Wall Street Journal.

It was found that 77% of… Global CEOs We expect the global economy to improve in the first half of 2025 – up from 45% last year, an increase of 32 percentage points. This sentiment was shared by 86% of investors.

“For the first time since Teneo conducted this survey, we see broad consensus among CEOs and investors on the direction of the global economy, and confidence has never been higher,” said Paul Kerry, CEO of Teneo.

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“Buoyed by the ‘Trump Effect,’ the market is anticipating a return to mergers and acquisitions, increased employment, and increased levels of US and foreign investment. It is clear that the United States will be the beneficiary of much of this positive activity, strengthening its position as the most important investment bank,” Kerry added. A destination for international companies.

More than 80% of CEOs and investors expect the market to… Mergers and acquisitions It will see a huge return in 2025, up from 68% last year.

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This comes after the Biden-Harris administration closely scrutinized proposed mergers and mounted successful legal challenges to mergers like this one. Albertsons and Kroger deal Which was banned last week.

Half of global CEOs said they are accelerating their activities in areas such as domestic and international investments as a result of the 2024 elections. The United States was ranked as the most attractive investment destination among global CEOs.

Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents, 64%, said they believe policy changes related to tariffs, as well as Tax and regulatory reliefIt will have a positive impact on their business in 2025.

There was disagreement among CEOs of large and medium-sized companies on the impact of tariffs. While 80% of CEOs of medium-sized companies said they believe this Higher tariffs On imports to the United States will have a positive impact, only 13% of CEOs of large companies agreed.

More than three-quarters of CEOs, 76%, said the election result would improve the global economy and global stability, while 83% of investors shared this view. Both CEOs and investors have expressed confidence that the companies are positioned to address a range of potentially disruptive geopolitical issues, such as Conflicts in the Middle East Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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Share of CEOs who said that China plays a crucial role The proportion of their investments in their corporate strategies has more than doubled over the past two years from 20% in 2023 to 47% in 2025. About a third of CEOs and investors, 32% and 31% respectively, said political unrest related to China would lead to the greatest negative impact. On their works.

Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Policies are also under new scrutiny, with 91% of CEOs saying they are recalibrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives due to the politicization of those policies – compared to 72% last year.

Among this group, 40% are becoming more selective about the issues or topics they engage with, while 1 in 4 are cutting back on environmental, social and governance (ESG) programming. Despite these concerns, 56% of global CEOs said they remain committed to balancing ESG priorities with their core business goals.

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The survey also found that investors and executives are watching Artificial Intelligence (AI) investments differently. Nearly 80% of investors expect AI projects to generate a positive return on investment within the first year, while 41% of CEOs of large-cap companies are willing to let AI initiatives mature over a year or two before they expect results. Positive.