Chief executive officers' expectations for capital expenditures, hiring and sales fell in the third quarter of 2014, as measured by the Business Roundtable CEO Economic Outlook Index, released Tuesday.
The index fell to 86.4 in the third quarter from 95.4 in the second quarter. The long-term average of the Index is 80.2.
Hiring plans showed the largest drop.
"While some U.S. economic indicators are improving moderately, the results from our survey of CEOs seem to reflect an underperforming U.S. economy held back by policy uncertainty and growing conflicts around the world," said Randall Stephenson, chairman of Business Roundtable.
CEOs see 2014 gross domestic product growth of 2.4%, up a tick from the 2.3% growth estimated in last quarter's survey.
"The U.S. economy continues to perform below its potential," Stephenson said. "While there are a number of economic issues facing our country, growth remains the top priority. We believe Congress and the Administration must focus on policies that drive economic growth, including tax reform, immigration reform, trade expansion and long-term fiscal stability."
