US companies aren’t feeling great about the economy – but one group is extra pessimistic

• Small business owners and CFOs both reported feeling downbeat about the US economy in recent surveys.
• CFOs are far more optimistic about the prospects for their own companies relative to the wider economy. 
• A historically low number of small business owners said it’s a good time to expand operations. 

Corporate America isn’t optimistic about the economy. 

The latest gross domestic product figures showed Thursday that the US economy grew in the third quarter at a 4.9% annualized rate, or more than double the pace of the prior two quarters. Yet with inflation still double the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, recent chaos in the bond market, and other bearish headwinds taking shape, small business owners and chief financial officers across the country say they’re feeling downbeat about the state of things.