Accountants Confidence Index | Accounting Today

ACI June 2020 screen

Accountants' confidence rises from an all-time low

Following two months of precipitous drops, the ACI levelled off a bit for June, though respondents are still deeply concerned about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.

Accountants' confidence levels off for September

After taking a step back in August, the Accountants Confidence Index held mostly steady.

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Accountants lower economic expectations as coronavirus rages

After a month of recovery, the Accountants Confidence Index took a step back for August.

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Accountants see recovery in the mid-term

The Accountants Confidence Index continues to rebound after touching extraordinary lows in May.

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Accountants' confidence rises from an all-time low

Following two months of precipitous drops, the ACI levelled off a bit for June, though respondents are still deeply concerned about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.

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ACI — May 2020: Another major drop

As the coronavirus pandemic took hold over the past month, accountants' confidence in the economy dropped even further.

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ACI — April 2020: Crashing down

The Accountants Confidence Index saw its biggest drop ever, as the scale and scope of disruption from the coronavirus became clearer.

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ACI — March 2020: Holding steady

The Accountants Confidence Index held steady this month — before concerns about coronavirus became widespread.

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ACI — February 2020: A rebound

After taking a dip at the beginning of the year, the Accountants Confidence Index came back strongly for February.

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ACI — January 2020: A soft start

After getting a bump at the end of 2019, the Accountants Confidence Index took a dip for the start of 2020.

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ACI — December 2019: A year-end bump

After creeping up slightly last month, the Accountants Confidence Index made an even bigger rise for December.

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ACI — November 2019: Creeping up

Having stopped a three-month slide last month, the Accountants Confidence Index crept upward.

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ACI — October 2019: Stopping the slide

After three months of slides, the Accountants Confidence Index turned positive.

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ACI — September 2019: A deeper drop

The Accountants Confidence Index dropped even more steeply for September than in the previous two months.

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ACI — August 2019: Another dip

The Accountants Confidence Index took another slight step down for August.

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ACI — July 2019: Uncertainty abounds

After a strong June, the Accountants Confidence Index took a slight step back for July.

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ACI — June 2019: A return to optimism

After a modest decline last month, the Accountants Confidence Index bounced back strongly, rising by more than a point in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index — May 2019

After the previous month's uptick, the Accountants Confidence Index dropped again.

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Accountants Confidence Index — April 2019

After four months of decline, the Accountants Confidence Index bounced back.

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Accountants Confidence Index — March 2019

The Accountants Confidence Index dipped for the fourth month in a row.

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Accountants Confidence Index — February 2019

The Accountants Confidence Index dropped somewhat again, dampened by concerns about the effect of the government shutdown.

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Accountants Confidence Index — January 2019

The Accountants Confidence Index looks gloomy for January.

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Accountants Confidence Index — December 2018

After two months of climbing, the ACI had a slight setback for the end of the year.

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Accountants Confidence Index — November 2018

The ACI continued to climb after a relatively steep drop for September, more than recovering most of its loss.

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Accountants Confidence Index — October 2018

The ACI rebounded this month from a decline in the previous month.

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Accountants Confidence Index — September 2018

Following a relatively flat month, the Accountants Confidence Index dropped more steeply for September.

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Accountants Confidence Index — August 2018

The ACI held more or less steady this month, with respondents divided over the potential impact of tax reform, new tariffs and more.

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Accountants Confidence Index — July 2018

After a slight rise after the end of tax season, the Accountants Confidence Index dropped slightly again.

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Accountants Confidence Index — June 2018

With tax season in the rearview mirror, the Accountants Confidence Index edged back up after two months of decline.

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Accountants Confidence Index — May 2018

The Accountants Confidence Index edged downward as tax season came to a close.

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Accountants Confidence Index — April 2018

The Accountants Confidence Index dipped slightly again, but remained strongly optimistic.

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Accountants Confidence Index — March 2018

After making the strongest gains in its history, the Accountants Confidence Index dipped a bit, but remained optimistic.

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Accountants Confidence Index — February 2018

The Accountants Confidence Index made the strongest gains in its history.

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Accountants Confidence Index — January 2018

The Accountants Confidence Index gave up some gains in the end game of tax reform.

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Accountants Confidence Index — December 2017

The Accountants Confidence Index bounced up again amid uncertainty.

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Accountants Confidence Index — November 2017

The Accountants Confidence Index dipped slightly for the month.

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Accountants Confidence Index — October 2017

The Accountants Confidence Index regained some of the territory it lost last month.

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Accountants Confidence Index — September 2017

After hitting a major high in July, the Accountants Confidence Index dropped back slightly.

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Accountants Confidence Index — August 2017

The Accountants Confidence Index rebounded from a major low in June to a major high in July.

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Accountants Confidence Index — July 2017

After giving up some gains in May, the Accountants Confidence Index plummeted in June.

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Accountants Confidence Index — June 2017

After a jump in March and in April, the Accountants Confidence Index gave up some of those gains in May.

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Accountants Confidence Index — May 2017

After a jump in March, the Accountants Confidence Index took another big jump in April.

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Accountants Confidence Index — April 2017

After a slight decline, the Accountants Confidence Index took another big jump in March.

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Accountants Confidence Index — March 2017

After two months of big jumps, the Accountants Confidence Index moderated slightly in February.

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Accountants Confidence Index — February 2017

The Accountants Confidence Index followed through on the big jump it took following the election with another increase in January.

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Accountants Confidence Index — January 2017

The Accountants Confidence Index took one of its biggest jumps in its five-year history.

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Accountants Confidence Index — December 2016

The Accountants Confidence Index continued to drop in the immediate aftermath of the election.

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Accountants Confidence Index — November 2016

The Accountants Confidence Index took a dip in the run-up to the election, but the decline masked some significant upward spikes in certain components.

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Accountants Confidence Index — October 2016

After a couple of months of melting in the summer heat, the Accountants Confidence Index reversed its decline with the return of cooler weather.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- September 2016

In the heat of August, the Accountants Confidence Index continued to melt, with the short-term index indicating expectations of contraction in the economy.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- August 2016

After two months of rises, the Accountants Confidence Index took a dip this month.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- July 2016

Following up on last month's rebound, the Accountants Confidence Index saw a rise for a second month in a row.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- June 2016

After three months of downward momentum, the Accountants Confidence Index saw something of a rebound this month.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- May 2016

The Accountants Confidence Index continued its slow downward slide this month.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- April 2016

The Accountants Confidence Index dropped a very little bit from last month, but remained divided, expecting contraction in the short term and growth in the mid-term.

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Economy

Accountants Confidence Index -- March 2016

The April ACI readings split between growth and contraction, with the short-term outlook particularly grim.

March 1
Economy

Accountants Confidence Index -- February 2016

The Accountants Confidence Index started off the year with a dip, in both short-term and the mid-term expectations.

February 1
Economy

Accountants Confidence Index -- January 2016

The Accountants Confidence Index drifted up slightly for January, with both the short-term and the mid-term figures above 50.

January 1
Accountants Confidence Index — December 2015

The Accountants Confidence Index split the difference this month, with the short-term index rising slightly, and the mid-term measurement dropping just a hair.

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Economy

Accountants Confidence Index -- November 2015

The Accountants Confidence Index straddled the line that separates growth and contraction this month, with the mid-term showing growth and the short-term forecasting a very slight contraction.

November 1
Economy

Accountants Confidence Index -- October 2015

The Accountants Confidence Index continued to rise again this month, in both the mid-term and the short-term, perhaps reflecting the respondents' move from the summer doldrums to the busier fall season.

October 1
Economy

Accountants Confidence Index -- September 2015

After a few months of ups and downs, the Accountants Confidence Index rose again this month, in both the mid-term and the short-term.

September 1
Economy

Accountants Confidence Index -- August 2015

After a steep drop last month, the Accountants Confidence Index levelled off this month, with both the short-term and mid-term measurements drooping slightly.

August 1
Accountants Confidence Index -- July 2015

After bouncing up in May, the Accountants Confidence Index dropped right back down in June, with both the short-term and mid-term measurements drooping.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- June 2015

After dipping in April, the Accountants Confidence Index bounced up in May, with both the short-term and mid-term measurements rising.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- May 2015

In April, the Accountants Confidence Index gave back the gains it made in March, dropping two points to almost exactly the same level as in February. Both the short-term and mid-term ACIs were affected, though it's worth noting that both remain over the 50-mark that separates expectations of growth from expectations of contraction.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- April 2015

After retrenchment in the last two months, the short-term and mid-term ACIs shot up by more than two points each, both driven by extremely strong rises in our panelists' predictions for growth at their large-business clients.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- March 2015

After February's retrenchment, the short-term and mid-term ACIs continued that moderation in March, dropping slighly -- though they remained comfortably in positive territory.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- February 2015

After three months trending upward, the short-term and mid-term ACIs both retrenched slightly in the first month of the year -- though they remained comfortably in positive territory.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- January 2015

After rising in November, the short-term and mid-term ACI readings both continued their upward trend in December, with the short-term and the long-term readings both both comfortably in positive territory.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- December 2014

After levelling off in October, the short-term and mid-term ACI readings both rose in November, with the short-term reading just barely nudging into positive territory.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- November 2014

The short-term and mid-term ACI readings both levelled off in October, with the short-term reading still indicating expectations of contraction.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- October 2014

The short-term and mid-term ACI readings both declined again in September, with the short-term reading indicating expectations of contraction.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- September 2014

The short-term and mid-term ACI readings remained in sync in September, though this month that meant that they both declined.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- August 2014

The short-term and mid-term ACI readings got back into sync in August, with both heading upward after diverging in July.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- July 2014

The short-term and mid-term ACI readings headed in different directions this month, though both remain positive.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- June 2014

After several months of decline -- and two months of predicting contraction in the short-term -- our Accountants Confidence Index sharply rebounded.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- May 2014

Our Accountants Confidence Index remained split between growth and contraction, after the short-term outlook dipped into the negative last month.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- April 2014

Our Accountants Confidence Index split between growth and contraction, with the short-term outlook particularly grim.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- March 2014

Our Accountants Confidence Index remained positive but dipped even closer to contraction, with the short-term outlook particularly grim.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- February 2014

Our Accountants Confidence Index remained positive but uncertain, with a slight boost in the short-term expectations of growth, but a slight decrease in the mid-term expectations.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- January 2014

Our Accountants Confidence Index wobbled slightly at the end of the year, though it continued its positive trend for the fourth month in a row, with expectations of growth in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- December 2013

Our Accountants Confidence Index continued its positive trend for the third month in a row, with expectations of growth in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- November 2013

After rebounding in October, our Accountants Confidence Index stayed positive this month, with expectations of growth in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- October 2013

After a sharp drop last month, our Accountants Confidence Index made up the ground it lost this month, returning to expectations of growth in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- September 2013

After three months of rises, our Accountants Confidence Index dropped sharply for this month, with expectations of contraction in the short-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- August 2013

Our Accountants Confidence Index continued on a positive track from the previous two months, with expectations of growth in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- July 2013

Our Accountants Confidence Index continued on a positive track from the previous month, with expectations of growth in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- June 2013

Our Accountants Confidence Index bounced back from a few weak months, with expectations of growth in both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- May 2013

The moderation of April got even more moderate in May, with our Accountants Confidence Index dropping still further, and the short-term prediction even dipping below break-even into contraction.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- April 2013

Following last month's strong performance, our Accountants Confidence Index moderated a bit -- remaining in positive territory with predictions of modest growth in both the short- and the mid-term, but with readings that were somewhat down from our last two reports in February and March.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- March 2013

Following last month's flicker of hope, our Accountants Confidence Index moved even more firmly into positive territory for both the short-term and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- February 2013

After a long spate of pessimism, our Accountants Confidence Index shook off the gloom and reported an expectation -- just barely -- of growth in both the short-term and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- January 2013

Our Accountants Confidence Index is much less pessimistic this month -- though it's still not optimistic, as our panelists still predict contraction in both the short term and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index -- December 2012

Our Accountants Confidence Index dropped fairly steeply this month, with two main possible culprits: First, our panelists may not have been pleased with the results of the election -- the accounting profession's political action committees had, overall, supported Gov. Romney's presidential bid -- but given that they seemed optimistic in the previous month, it seems likely that the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, which was still being assessed as we polled our Executive Research Council, plays a bigger role in the decline in the December ACI.

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Accountants Confidence Index - November 2012

Our Accountants Confidence Index is balancing on either side of contraction, predicting a shrinking economy in the short term, and very, very, very modest growth in the mid-term -- though they seemed a little bit more optimistic in the run-up to the election.

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Accountants Confidence Index - October 2012

Our Accountants Confidence Index continues to straddle contraction, predicting a shrinking economy in the short term, and very, very, very modest growth in the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index - September 2012

Our Accountants Confidence Index indicated a contraction in the coming three months -- but saw a light at the end of the tunnel, or at least six months from now.

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Accountants Confidence Index - August 2012

For the second month in a row, our Accountants Confidence Index indicated a contraction in the coming three months -- and for the first time, it indicated a contraction over the next six, as well.

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Accountants Confidence Index - July 2012

The July installment of our Accountants Confidence Index marked a major milestone -- if a negative one -- when, for the first time since we started publishing it, our short-term ACI reading indicated that our panel of accountants expect a contraction over the next three months.

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Accountants Confidence Index - June 2012

The June installment of our Accountants Confidence Index broke with the trend of the previous two months, with a dip that indicated wavering confidence in the profession for both the short- and the mid-term.

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Accountants Confidence Index - May 2012

The May installment of our Accountants Confidence Index continued the cautious rise that began in April.

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Accountants Confidence Index - April 2012

The April installment of our Accountants Confidence Index breaks the declining trend that marked the start of 2012, with a slight uptick.

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Accountants Confidence Index - March 2012

The latest installment of our Accountants Confidence Index, the second of the new year, continued 2012's unfortunate declining trend. The ACI, created in partnership with ADP, is a monthly economic indicator that leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and prospects of businesses in the U.S.

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Accountants Confidence Index - February 2012

The latest installment of our Accountants Confidence Index, and the first from the new year, broke with the holiday season's more optimistic outlook. The ACI, created in partnership with ADP, is a monthly economic indicator that leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and prospects of businesses in the U.S.

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Accountants Confidence Index - January 2012

The fifth installment of our Accountants Confidence Index continued last month's more optimistic outlook. The ACI, created in partnership with ADP, is a monthly economic indicator that leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and prospects of businesses in the U.S.

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Accountants Confidence Index - December 2011

The fourth edition of our Accountants Confidence Index offered a slightly more optimistic outlook for the holiday season and the start of 2012. The ACI, created in partnership with ADP, is a monthly economic indicator that leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and prospects of businesses in the U.S.

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Accountants Confidence Index - November 2011

The third monthly edition of our Accountants Confidence Index showed declines in accountants' outlook for the future -- a slight one for the short term, and a more serious decline for the mid-term. The ACI, created in partnership with ADP, is a monthly economic indicator that leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and prospects of businesses in the U.S.

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Accountants Confidence Index — October 2011

The second monthly edition of our Accountants Confidence Index shows the profession holding more or less steady in its forecasts for growth. The ACI, created in partnership with ADP, is a new monthly economic indicator that leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and prospects of businesses in the U.S.

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Economy

Accountants Confidence Index — September 2011

Welcome to Accounting Today's inaugural Accountants Confidence Index. The ACI, created in partnership with ADP, is a new monthly economic indicator that leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and prospects of businesses in the U.S.

September 1