Deloitte's latest CFO Signals™ report, a quarterly survey of North America's leading chief financial officers, finds that CFO confidence rebounded this quarter even as executives remain measured in their assessment of the broader economy.
Against a challenging macroeconomic backdrop, the Q3 report reveals CFOs remain optimistic about their own companies, even as their appetite for risk cools and technology-related concerns rise. The report polled 200 North American finance chiefs at companies with at least US$1 billion in revenues between Aug. 24 and Sept. 8, 2026.
CFO confidence inches back into "high" territory: The CFO Confidence Score rose to 6.1 from 5.9 in Q2, returning to the "high" confidence range. Introduced in Q2 2025, the CFO Confidence Score measures CFO confidence in economic conditions and capital markets. The range of the score is 1 to 10, with 8 to 10 indicating very high confidence.
Company optimism remains resilient: 90% of surveyed CFOs say they are optimistic about their companies' financial prospects; 37.5% rate the current North American economy favorably.
Financing remains relatively attractive: 55% of CFOs say equity financing is attractive, while 50% say the same about debt financing, suggesting CFOs continue to see multiple paths to capital amid a shifting risk appetite.
Technology risks stand out among business challenges: Technology deployment, including GenAI, was CFOs' most-cited internal concern (50%), while cybersecurity topped the list of external concerns (50%).
Slight cooling on CFOs' appetite for risk: 53% of CFOs say now is a good time to take greater risks, compared to 59% last quarter.
Growth expectations are mixed: CFOs expect revenue to grow 4.6% and capital expenditures to increase 4.3% over the next year, both modestly higher than last quarter, while expectations for earnings, dividends, domestic wages and salaries, and domestic hiring declined.
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