An abundance of positive economic evidence – from strong consumer demand to favorable monetary policy – helped sustain optimism among some CFOs in the second quarter of 2018. But two issues – trade and talent – seem to be sounding an ominous drum beat and sending mixed signals in the Q2 2018 edition of Global CFO Signals.

On the positive front, many of the CFOs in the eight surveys included in this quarterly round-up, voice upbeat outlooks about their organizations’ financial prospects, growth metrics, and, countries’ economic outlooks. But it is the threat of a trade war that has many CFOs on edge. Compounding matters is the escalation of long-running concerns over talent. The fear is that these twin concerns – trade and talent – could have a chilling effect on business investment. Whether these concerns are enough to dampen the current economic momentum, remains to be seen.

How does CFO sentiment break down?

Read the 2018 Q2 Global CFO Signals to learn more.