NEW YORK and ROSELAND, N.J., Sept.
13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Accounting Today released its
inaugural Accountants Confidence Index today. The Index, created in
partnership with ADP®, is a new monthly economic indicator that
leverages the insights of accountants into the strength and
prospects of businesses in the U.S.
The ACI is created from a monthly poll of the Accounting Today
Executive Research Council, an online community of more than one
thousand tax and accounting professionals. Participants are asked
to provide their estimates of the growth prospects of their own
firms, their small, midsized and large business clients, and of the
U.S. economy as a whole. Their responses are weighted and averaged
to produce the ACI.
The results of the initial survey, conducted in late August,
indicate that accountants expect flat or low growth over the next
three months, with an index reading of 52.91 on a scale of one to
100, where one equals a significant decline or contraction, 50
equals flat or no growth, and 100 equals extremely strong growth.
The 417 survey participants were slightly more optimistic about the
mid-term, with a six-month ACI reading of 54.33.
The accountants were most optimistic about the outlook for their
own firms, and least optimistic about the outlook for the economy
as a whole, where they actually predicted a contraction. Details of
the survey and the methodology employed are available at
AccountingToday.com.
"Accountants have their fingers on the pulse of American
business and the American economy," said Bill Carlino, Editor-in-Chief of Accounting
Today. "We created the ACI to tap into their extraordinary insight,
and we expect that the index will rapidly become a much-consulted
guidepost to the future direction of the economy."
"We're excited to partner with Accounting Today on the
Accountants Confidence Index," said Anish
Rajparia, president of ADP's Small Business Services.
"ADP works closely with hundreds of thousands of businesses,
many of which are accounting and other professional service firms
themselves. Our research shows that accountants are singled out by
small business owners as their 'most trusted advisors.' As a
result, accountants have unique insights into businesses and the
economy, which gives the ACI distinct credibility and relevance,"
Rajparia added.
Industry professionals who would like to join the Executive
Research Council and participate in the ACI survey can visit
www.research.accountingtoday.com/welcome or the Accounting Today
Facebook page to learn more.
About SourceMedia
SourceMedia, (http://www.sourcemedia.com) an Investcorp company,
is a diversified business-to-business media company serving the
financial industry and the related fields of professional services
and technology. SourceMedia offers its clients and subscribers
professional information services—both print and
digital—industry-standard data applications, in-depth seminars and
conferences, and specialized marketing services.
About Accounting Today
Founded in 1987, SourceMedia's Accounting Today has been the
newspaper of record for the public accounting profession for almost
a quarter of a century, and is the leading source in print and
online of information and insight for accountants in public
practice, delivering premium content for firm decision-makers on
everything from the latest developments in tax and accounting, to
cutting-edge technology and best practices in management, growth
strategies and more.
About ADP
Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADP), with about
$10 billion in revenues and
approximately 570,000 clients, is one of the world's largest
providers of business outsourcing solutions. Leveraging over 60
years of experience, ADP offers a wide range of human resource,
payroll, tax and benefits administration solutions from a single
source. ADP's easy-to-use solutions for employers provide superior
value to companies of all types and sizes. ADP is also a leading
provider of integrated computing solutions to auto, truck,
motorcycle, marine, recreational vehicle, and heavy equipment
dealers throughout the world. For more information about ADP or to
contact a local ADP sales office, reach us at 1.800.225.5237 or
visit the company's Web site at www.ADP.com.
For more information, contact:
James Duffy
ADP
(973) 974-7612
James_Duffy@ADP.com
SOURCE Automatic Data Processing, Inc.