Would you consider the growth outlook in your industry/sector of the economy to be positive or negative over the next 12 months?

👍 Positive (46%) – "Energy prices remain volatile which is good for my sector of the industry where we help consumers lock in rates to stabilize their prices for 1-3 years. Plus there’s never exactly a time when people don’t need energy."

• "There are many STEM and critical hard-to-fill positions that require HR expertise and man-hours in order to locate and onboard the best candidates."

"Used cars sell better during economic downturns; used cars require more maintenance and aftermarket parts; we manufacture and sell aftermarket parts. QED."

• "I’m a criminal defense attorney - people are always going to commit crimes. Of course, their ability to pay can change with economic conditions, but there is an amount of “built-in” stability bc people have been committing crimes since the dawn of time."

👎 Negative (54%) – "Teacher pay does not meet the needs of inflation. We are middle class, which is poorest of the poor. We live paycheck to paycheck and we don't qualify for government assistance, sometimes missing the mark by pennies. Inflation is targeting middle class more than anyone else."

• "I think we’re in for a rough road. I understand that in some aspects, the economy seems robust, but for the average person, times are hard. People are getting squeezed quite a bit. Though grocery prices dropped for a bit, they’re back to being ridiculously high again. The stock market hasn’t been good and the price for electric and heat are up. I definitely have much less money left in my account and my investments are far lower than they were a few years ago."

"The data the Fed uses is trailing and does not account for the impacts in place today. Add in the upcoming resumption of student debt payments and the economy is about to take a significant blow."

• "Continued uncertainty about the economy and inflation, along with increasing use of generative AI are leading companies to tighten their budgets for marketing services."