“Is the light at the end of the tunnel an oncoming train?”
Dallas (SMU) – This year, SMU Cox School of Business and D CEO magazine set out to uncover the impact of the economic downturn on our region’s business leaders and their companies through the annual SMU Cox CEO Sentiment Survey™. Invitations to participate in the survey were sent to a comprehensive list of DFW-area CEOs and presidents, with 359 respondents completing the survey.  

This year’s results demonstrated the usual Texas “can-do” spirit. Despite the economic downturn, the general business mood throughout DFW has improved, with more than half (57 percent) of this year’s respondents expecting business in North Texas to improve next year.  However, this news is in sharp contrast to their outlook on the world economy, with only 30 percent expecting an improvement.

For the fourth straight year, Texas has maintained its position as the state with the largest population gain. Texas entered the recession later than...