This month’s Economic Confidence Meter was little changed from the previous month’s levels, perhaps a sign of the wait-and-see attitude typical of a new year. CIOs’ confidence in the chances for a recovery in the overall economy in the next three months rose a tenth of a point, to 5.5 from 5.4, while the score for our respondents’ own industry categories stayed at 5.6. And the score for their own companies rose two tenths of a point, to 6.5 from 6.3. Some sector anomalies worth noting: Financial services CIOs came in close to the mean for the overall economy and their own sector, but much higher than the mean—6.7—for their own companies. Similarly, telecom CIOs came in a hair below the mean for their sector and their own companies, but almost a whole point above the mean for the overall economy. It’s all a matter of perspective.
