Trump administration sparks optimism among CEOs, most expect sales growth

Optimism. That's the widespread sentiment among the nation's CEOs ahead of Donald Trump's arrival, according to a survey of more than 150 Business Roundtable CEOs.

That's the same word the association's president of senior business leaders, Chuck Robbins, resorted to in describing respondents' expectations for the start of the year. Behind this "optimism," he explained, is Trump's economic agenda:

"With Washington poised to consider measures that can protect and strengthen tax reform, enable a sensible regulatory environment, and drive investment and job creation, business leaders are energized by the opportunity to engage the incoming Administration and Congress on policies that can further fuel our economy," he said.

The opinion survey concludes that CEOs expect the nation's Gross Domestic Product to grow by 2.6% in 2025. The enthusiasm is already starting to be felt: 79% expect an increase in sales in the next six months. That's up 8 points from the previous quarter.

The number of CEOs who anticipate a rise in their companies' capital spending also increased (from 35% to 42%) and those who believe their workforce will increase (34% to 38%), although an even larger group thinks the latter figure will remain stable (40%).