Foundation president William G. Sutton focused on the expected positive growth, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in 2014, contending that the foundation's various indices "point to a healthy business sector."
In the fourth quarter of 2014, equipment and software investment slowed dramatically to 1.6 percent, from 10.5 percent in the third quarter, according to the update. For all of 2014, investment grew 5.8 percent.
The main reason for the lower forecast, according to Keybridge Research, which co-produces the report, is that several key economic indicators have “come in a little soft in recent weeks, and although we believe some of this softness is temporary, it will likely shave off some growth in 2015 equipment investment.”
