State of the Region: Are you a bull or bear?
2010 WAS predicted by respondents to TheBusinessDesk.com’s State of the Region survey last year to be a year of consolidation with 2011 being one of recovery. Twelve months on has that perception changed? Take part in our major new survey, in association with law firm DLA Piper, to give your view.
Business leaders in Yorkshire 12 months ago also felt more confident about the economy’s prospects and many expected their organisations to grow throughout 2010.
At the end of 2009, the Yorkshire survey found that 53% of respondents were more confident about the region’s economy than they were 12 months ago, while 20% were less confident. The remainder (27%) had the same confidence outlook as 12 months ago.
More than a quarter (28%) expected an economic upturn in 2010, 59% thought conditions would remain the same and 13% thought economic conditions would get worse. Almost two-thirds (61%) expected recovery in 2011, 22% in 2012 and the remainder either in 2013 or after.
Yorkshire’s business community is today being invited to give its view on whether it agrees with the hundreds of people who took part in last year’s inaugural State of the Region Survey and to have its say on the past year’s significant economic and political changes and predict what the future may hold.
[FORM: 38]
TheBusinessDesk.com, in association with leading law firm DLA Piper, has launched its 2010 State of the Region Survey to gauge business sentiment.
Your answers matter and knowing how time is precious for those running businesses, we have made the survey quick and simple – it will take you no more than three minutes to complete.
We will be running a series of stories on the survey results from each of our Yorkshire, North West and West Midlands regions in the New Year and comparing the findings from the three.
In addition, we will be identifying the important issues that matter to the region’s firms and then lobbying on their behalf for the changes they want to see happen in the future, as well as comparing the results from this year’s survey to the one TheBusinessDesk.com ran last year.
Sarah Day, partner and head of finance and projects at DLA Piper in Leeds, said: “This time last year we were emerging from some of the toughest economic conditions in recent memory, and 2010 was being viewed by many as an opportunity to draw breath and start to rebalance the economy. Most believed there would not be an immediate double dip – but weren’t about to bet against it. So caution and looking forward were the order of the day.
“As the year draws to a close, the region has seen some great deals, and also some significant trends – in particular with bonds and capital markets, asset based funding, private equity and funds generally playing a more prominent role, but still alongside the bank debt market. We see these trends continuing in 2011 and with the bank debt market strengthening as banks determine their appetite for deals and make their balance sheets work harder.
By taking part in the State of the Region survey, businesses within the region are making the most of their opportunity to have a say on what 2010 was really like for them, and make their predictions for 2011.”
[FORM: 38]
