US equipment finance market confidence at all-time high

Survey respondent Valerie Hayes Jester, president of Brandywine Capital Associates, said: “Activity has picked up since the midpoint of the fourth quarter and 2017 closed on a very positive note. The year is off to a great start even with some of the weather issues plaguing the country. I’m hoping the new tax laws will keep this optimism in full gear.”

Two-thirds of executives (67.7%) believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, double the proportion (32.1%) in December. Just 29% now believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, a decrease from 67.9% the previous month.

In addition, 67.7% believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures will increase over the next four months, an increase from 46.4% in December.

In addition, 25.8% of the leadership teams polled evaluate the current US economy as “excellent”, up from 10.7% last month, while 61.3% believe that economic conditions will get “better” over the next six months, an increase from 42.9% in December.

Dave Fate, president and CEO, Stonebriar Commercial Finance, said: “The passing of tax reform as well as the continued easing of the burdensome regulatory environment have created additional optimism in the business communities that we serve.”