CFO Confidence Rebounds Despite Tech Risks and Economic Uncertainty — Deloitte LLP

Event summary

Deloitte's Q3 2026 CFO Signals™ survey shows CFO confidence score rose to 6.1 from 5.9, returning to 'high' territory.
90% of CFOs are optimistic about their companies' financial prospects, but only 37.5% rate the current North American economy favorably.
Technology deployment (50%) and cybersecurity (50%) are the top internal and external concerns for CFOs.
53% of CFOs believe now is a good time to take greater risks, down from 59% last quarter.
CFOs expect revenue growth of 4.6% and capital expenditures to increase by 4.3% over the next year.

The big picture

Deloitte's Q3 2026 CFO Signals™ survey highlights a resilient optimism among CFOs about their own companies despite a measured view of the broader economy. The survey underscores the growing concerns around technology risks, particularly in deployment and cybersecurity, which are shaping CFOs' strategic decisions. This tension between confidence in individual companies and caution about the macroeconomic environment reflects broader industry trends of cautious optimism and the need for robust risk management in an uncertain economic landscape.

What we're watching

Risk Appetite: How the cooling of CFOs' appetite for risk will affect investment strategies and growth initiatives.
Technology Risks: Whether companies can effectively manage the internal and external technology risks, particularly around GenAI and cybersecurity.
Economic Sentiment: The pace at which CFO confidence and economic optimism align or diverge in the face of an uneven economic outlook.