Optimism about Colorado’s economy slipped ahead of the second quarter 2022 but still remained positive, according to the latest edition of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds Business Confidence Index (LBCI).
Released by the Leeds Business Research Division (BRD) at the Leeds School of Business, the Index decreased 4.1 points to 53.9 ahead of the Q2 2022 (a score of 50 is neutral), and dropped another 0.6 points ahead of Q3.
Colorado business leaders cite impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war and inflation as the primary concerns, with COVID-19, supply chain issues and energy prices also top of mind.
While optimism decreased, five of the six components of the LBCI recorded positive perceptions––with only the national economy recording a negative perception, dropping 10 points to 40.4.
State economic expectations dropped 5.7 points ahead of Q2 (51.9). The gap between the state and national outlook widened to 11.5 points, the greatest gap in nine years.
Industry hiring recorded the highest optimism for the second consecutive quarter (60.4).
