The Markets Global CEOs Are Most Optimistic About

According to PWC's Annual Global CEO Survey, company leaders across the world are most optimistic about doing business in the United States in 2015. 1,300 CEOs from 77 countries (excluding the country where each CEO is based) were questioned on their most important business markets over the next 12 months. China was the most favorable market over the past few years but the pace of Chinese economic growth has now stalled, reaching a 24-year low in 2014 amid cooling property prices.

The United States has edged ahead for the first time, thanks to economic improvement fuelled by a fracking boom and higher consumer spending. Even though 38 percent of CEOs are optimistic about their business chances in the United States in 2015, China is still highly relevant. 34 percent of company leaders still consider it the market with the best growth prospects this year. Generally, mature markets are attracting the majority of optimism for 2015 - the United Kingdom is ranked higher than Brazil while Japan is seen as more promising than Russia.