CEO confidence fell again in the third quarter after edging down in the second quarter. The Conference Board’s and PwC Network’s measure of CEO confidence fell to a level of 59 in the third quarter from 62 in the second quarter.

“While CEOs say economic conditions have improved from the start of the year, their expectations for growth in the short-term have softened,” said Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. “Overall, CEOs remain optimistic about growth prospects in the US and India, but sentiment for Europe has declined considerably. Expectations for China and Japan have moderated, and CEOs remained negative about Brazil’s near-term prospects. Less than a quarter of chief executives report increasing their companies’ capital spending plans since January, while less than 20 percent have scaled back spending. “