Less than half, or 47%, of U.S. executives feel confident about the country's economic direction in the year ahead. That share is a marked decline from December, when 67% of business leaders polled by the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants reported feeling optimistic about the economic outlook for 2025. Tariffs and an ensuing trade war are the likely culprits behind the downturn in sentiment, Bloomberg reports, with 59% of respondents saying they would expect levies to negatively affect their business. So, naturally (as we are in franchising), I wanted to look at this from two perspectives – first, my thoughts and second AI.