“Executives are continuing to wait for a sustained recovery …”

Executives around the globe are signaling their level of confidence in the worldwide economy – and it’s mixed.

Ernst & Young found that 51 percent of the executives questioned think the global economy is improving – more than double the level recorded last October. Under normal circumstances, that would normally translate into companies feeling more confident to splash out on mergers and acquisitions. But the survey only found that 29 percent of companies expect to do a deal in the coming year.

In other words, many companies are in a wait and see mode about branching out. Ernst & Young refers to it as a “confidence paradox.”