35.7% expecting worsening economic conditions in the US

Confidence in the United States equipment finance market fell in December, with a fifth of respondents in the Monthly Confidence Index expecting conditions to worsen over the next four months.

Some 65.5% of respondents believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, while just 13.8% of executives responding believe business conditions will improve.

The survey found only 3.5% of respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures will increase over the next four months (down from 7.1% in November); 79.3% believe demand will remain the same (82.1% in the previous month); and 17.2% believe demand will decline, up from 10.7% in November.

The survey also shows lower expectations for the US economy, with 10.7% tipping an improvement, 53.6% expecting things to stay the same over the next six months (a decrease from 78.6% the previous month) and 35.7% expecting worsening economic conditions in the US (up from 17.9% in November).

The Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) is a qualitative assessment of the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the USD1 trillion equipment finance sector.