Issue 2 of the QCA/BDO Small and Mid-Cap Sentiment Index published

We are pleased to announce that the results of the second QCA/BDO Small and Mid-Cap Sentiment Index – a quarterly online survey powered by YouGovStone that tracks the business and economic confidence of the small and mid-cap quoted company sector.  The report is now available to download at www.bdoqcasentimentindex.co.uk

While we tracked key components of business sentiment this quarter, we also asked for the small and mid-cap quoted company sector’s views on the upcoming Budget – what is feared the most, what people want to see and what measures people think would have the greatest positive impact on small and mid-cap companies.

Some highlights from the results include:

• 63% of small and mid-cap quoted companies remain pessimistic about prospects for the economy in the next 12 months, which is a slight improvement compared to 70% in September 2011.
• 42% of companies are considering raising capital in the next 12 months, which is unchanged from September 2011.
• 74% of advisory firms believe it is hard to raise bank finance, but only 36% of companies agree with this view.
• 52% of companies are against the idea of binding shareholder votes on executive pay, but 32% support the proposal.
• 24% of companies fear that personal taxes will increase in the Spring Budget.
• 85% of companies believe allowing AIM and PLUS shares to be included in ISAs will have a positive impact on their business.
• 0% of companies believe that regulation will decrease over the next 12 months, with 76% fearing it will increase.

If you have any comments or suggested questions for the next survey, please let us know by emailing Kate Jalbert.

You can find out more about the survey by visiting www.bdoqcasentimentindex.co.uk or by following @QCAandBDO on Twitter.