Third-quarter profit and sales expectations among business leaders declined sharply in the past month, according to the Dun & Bradstreet National Business Expectations survey.
In its survey of 1,200 business owners and executives on their outlook for the three months to Sept 30, Dun & Bradstreet's profit index fell 15 points to a reading of -7 while sales expectations fell 9 points to 5, their lowest level in two years.
Also falling were employment expectations and capital expectations, which both dipped into negative territory.