The newly published results of Gallup’s June survey of Iceland’s 400 largest firms, conducted for the Confederation of Icelandic Employers (SA) and the Central Bank (CBI), sheds light on an interesting divergence in economic expectations for H2/2025. In general, company executives are fairly sanguine about the immediate future, as can be seen in an index value of 120, which shows that optimists outnumber pessimists as regards their view of the near-term economic situation. That said, optimism has receded year-to-date. At the end of 2024, the overall index value for executives’ expectations six months ahead was 163, and by March 2025 it had tapered off to 147.
Widespread pessimism in the fishing industry
Attitudes differ greatly across sectors, however. Upbeat sentiment is most prominent in the construction industry, where all respondents consider the outlook positive. Respondents are optimistic in various services sectors as well, ranging from retail and wholesale trade to the financial industry.