The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation recently released the September 2023 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI). The index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $1 trillion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 50.3, steady with the August index of 50.4, according to the press release.

When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Jonathan Albin, chief operating officer at Nexseer Capital, said, “Overall there appears to be good momentum around capital investment, whether driven by infrastructure initiatives, emerging technologies, or onshoring. Barring the emergence of a severe economic threat, I believe this momentum will continue.”

September 2023 survey results

• When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 10.3% of the executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, an increase from 3.6% in August. 75.9% believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, down from 89.3% the previous month. 13.8% believe business conditions will worsen, an increase from 7.1% in August.
• 10.3% of the survey respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures (capex) will increase over the next four months, relatively unchanged from 10.7% in August. 79.3% believe demand will “remain the same” during the same four-month time period, an increase from 78.6% the previous month. 10.3% believe demand will decline, also relatively unchanged from 10.7% in August.
• 13.8% of the respondents expect more access to capital to fund equipment acquisitions over the next four months, up from 7.1% in August. 72.4% of executives indicate they expect the “same” access to capital to fund business, down from 78.6% last month. 13.8% expect “less” access to capital, down from 14.3% the previous month.
• When asked, 20.7% of the executives report they expect to hire more employees over the next four months, a decrease from 22.2% in August. 72.4% expect no change in headcount over the next four months, up from 70.4% last month. 6.9% expect to hire fewer employees, down from 7.4% in August.
• None of the leadership evaluate the current U.S. economy as “excellent,” down from 3.6% the previous month. 89.7% of the leadership evaluate the current U.S. economy as “fair,” up from 85.7% in August. 10.3% evaluate it as “poor,” relatively unchanged from 10.7% last month.
• 6.9% of the survey respondents believe that U.S. economic conditions will get “better” over the next six months, a decrease from 10.7% in August. 62.1% indicate they believe the U.S. economy will “stay the same” over the next six months, an increase from 60.7% last month. 31% believe economic conditions in the U.S. will worsen over the next six months, an increase from 28.6% the previous month.
• In September, 24.1% of respondents indicate they believe their company will increase spending on business development activities during the next six months, down from 25% the previous month. 69% believe there will be “no change” in business development spending, up from 67.9% in August. 6.9% believe there will be a decrease in spending, relatively unchanged from 7.1% last month.