Survey results: Expectations for company performance, by industry

| Survey

March 2023

In last month’s McKinsey Global Surveys on economic conditions, we compared executives’ sentiment before and after the upheaval in the banking sector that began with the closure of Silicon Valley Bank.1 Respondents to our initial survey reported increasing optimism about the broader economy’s performance as well as their own companies’ performance. Three weeks later, their views tempered—although when it comes to profit expectations, they have been more upbeat throughout March than in the previous three quarters.


This update was edited by Daniella Seiler, an executive editor in the New York office.




December 2022

Compared with last quarter, respondents share more optimistic views for their companies’ future profits. However, expectations overall for company performance are more muted than at the start of 2022.

In the latest McKinsey Global Survey on economic conditions, expectations for the respondents’ domestic economies are more pessimistic now than at the start of 2022. The same holds true for company performance, though respondents’ expectations for their companies’ profits are more upbeat now than in September. For the first time this year, weak customer demand tops the list of cited risks to company growth over the next year, overtaking supply chain disruptions—the most-cited threat in the previous two quarters.


This update was edited by Heather Hanselman, an editor in the Atlanta office.




September 2022

Across industries, only respondents working in energy and materials and financial services report more upbeat expectations for their companies’ profits or demand for their goods or services than in the previous survey.

In the latest McKinsey Global Survey on economic conditions, respondents’ expectations for their companies’ performance are more somber than they have been since early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This pessimism comes as companies feel the impact of cost increases. Nine in ten respondents report cost increases in the past six months—particularly the effects of rising energy prices and material costs. Yet respondents in sectors such as energy and materials and financial services report brighter spots compared with the June 2022 survey.

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