BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

BUSINESS CONFIDENCEFor most of the world's salesmen, 1997 could be a banner year. According to Dun & Bradstreet's latest survey, the number of businessmen who expect sales to rise in the first quarter exceeds the number who expect them to fall in 11 out of 12 countries. Only in Switzerland do the pessimists have the upper hand: they outnumber optimists by 4%. Businessmen are not only cheery—they are getting cheerier. The ratio of optimists to pessimists has risen in eight countries, and fallen in only four. Worldwide, 46% more businessmen expect their sales to rise in the first quarter than expect them to fall; this is up from 44% the previous quarter. American, British and Italian salesmen have the best prospects: each country has 55% more optimists than pessimists.