“Financial leaders of firms became decidedly more optimistic about the U.S. economy and their own prospects without the fear that Congress would not come to agreement on the debt ceiling,” said Richmond Fed economist Sonya Ravindranath Waddell. “However, the debt ceiling deal did not change expectations of financial decision-makers for slower GDP growth in the next year. Small firms also seem to be experiencing a much more challenging environment with respect to revenue growth and financing than large firms.” View the full results >