It’s a Moment of Truth for U.S. Companies
- Investors look for shifts in spending as sentiment improves
- Factory, plant spending takes backseat to buybacks, dividends
BlackRock's Richard Turnill Seeing Two Positive Surprises
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Say what you will about Donald Trump’s economic prescriptions, it’s hard to argue he hasn’t been a boon for corporate sentiment. A looming question for investors is how that buoyancy will translate when it comes to business spending.
Cheerfulness is spreading -- literally. Executives used the word “optimistic” on a record 51 percent of earnings calls this quarter, according to an analysis by Bank of America Corp. that goes back to 2003. They described things as “better” more often than “worse” or “weaker” at the highest rate in two years.