Equipment Finance Industry Confidence Declines in September 2011

September 2011 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry indicates confidence is down 47.6 from August 2011's 50.0

Finance 10374240
Equipment Leasing Foundation L 10950309

 Washington, DC - The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) releases the September 2011 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) today. Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $521 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 47.6, down from the August index of 50.0, indicating continuing concern with global economic conditions and their impact on the industry.

When asked about the outlook for the future, survey respondent David T. Schaefer, President, Orion First Financial, LLC, said, "Near term prospects for organic origination growth will be less than desired. To significantly increase volume, companies will need to focus on increased market share and/or develop new products and channels. We need to make our own opportunities and not wait for the economy to get back to 'normal.'"

September 2011 Survey Results:

The overall MCI-EFI is 47.6, a decrease from the August index of 50.0.

  • When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 4.9% of executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, down from 13.2% in August. 61.0% of respondents believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, a decrease from 65.8% in August. 34.1% of executives believe business conditions will worsen, an increase from 21.1% in August.
  • 12.2% of survey respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures (capex) will increase over the next four months, a decrease from 21.1% in August. 68.3% believe demand will "remain the same" during the same four-month time period, an increase from 57.9% the previous month. 19.5% believe demand will decline, down from 21.1% who believed so in August.
  • 15.0% of executives expect more access to capital to fund equipment acquisitions over the next four months, down from 21.1% in August. 82.5% of survey respondents indicate they expect the "same" access to capital to fund business, an increase from 73.7% the previous month. 2.5% of survey respondents expect "less" access to capital, a decrease from 5.3% who expected less access to capital in August.
  • When asked, 17.5% of the executives reported they expect to hire more employees over the next four months, down from 23.7% in August. 72.5% expect no change in headcount over the next four months, an increase from 65.8% last month, while 10.0% expect fewer employees, a slight decrease from 10.5% in August.
  • 55.0% of the leadership evaluates the current U.S. economy as "fair," unchanged from last month. 45.0% rate it as "poor," also relatively unchanged from August.
  • 2.5% of survey respondents believe that U.S. economic conditions will get "better" over the next six months, down from 5.3% in August. 75.0% of survey respondents indicate they believe the U.S. economy will "stay the same" over the next six months, up from 63.2% in August. 22.5% responded that they believe economic conditions in the U.S. will worsen over the next six months, down from 31.6% who believed so last month.
  • In September, 30.0% of respondents indicate they believe their company will increase spending on business development activities during the next six months, up from 28.9% in August. 70.0% believe there will be "no change" in business development spending, up from 68.4% last month, and no one believes there will be a decrease in spending, down from 2.6% who believed so last month.

Survey results are posted on the Foundation website, http://www.leasefoundation.org/IndRsrcs/MCI/, included in the Foundation Forecast newsletter and included in press releases. Survey respondent demographics and additional information about the MCI are also available at the link above. 

Latest