Most CEOs aren't expecting a recession anytime soon, survey finds

Corporate leaders' outlook for the U.S. economy is improving, with most CEOs saying they do not expect a recession this year, a new survey shows.

The June poll of 277 CEOs by Chief Executive found that 28% of business leaders expect a recession in the near term — that's down from 46% in May. In April, when President Trump announced his "Liberation Day" tariffs on scores of countries around the world, 62% of CEOs told the organization they were expecting a downturn in the coming months. 

Recessions are notoriously hard to predict, but are generally marked by rising unemployment and a significant decline in economic activity across multiple sectors. Since 1929, there have been 14 recessionary periods in the U.S. The most recent recession lasted two months, from February to April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.