Survey: Top CEOs Foresee Less Hiring

(AP)

WASHINGTON - Only about one-third of chief executives of the largest U.S. companies expect to hire or spend more in the next six months, down sharply from about half who said so three months ago.

The Business Roundtable said Thursday that rising oil prices earlier this year, fears surrounding Europe's debt crisis and political wrangling over the U.S. borrowing limit have made the business and economic environment more uncertain.

Only 32 percent of the CEOs surveyed said they expect to spend more on long-lasting equipment, such as machinery and computers. That's down from 61 percent who said so three months earlier.

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