New survey: CEO optimism down, not out

How CEOs feel about the economy has been downgraded from "exuberant" to just "OK."

What's new: The latest Business Roundtable (BRT) survey of its members — the chief executives of some of the world's largest companies — still shows healthy expectations for sales, hiring plans and investment. But the results, shared first with Axios, do point to a gloomier outlook than just a few months ago — and a marked deterioration from last year.

Why it matters: When big-company leaders lose confidence, it can make a recession inevitable as they cut jobs and capital...