Optimism among U.S. CPA decision-makers in February improved when compared with the outlook in November, but overall sentiment remains guarded. That's one conversation topic in the latest Journal of Accountancy podcast episode.

In the episode, Ken Witt, CPA, CGMA, associate director–Management Accounting Research & Development for the AICPA and CIMA, break down the sentiment about the domestic economy, the global economy, and respondents' companies.

The discussion also touches on top challenges, hiring plans, and recession expectations.

What you'll learn from this episode:

• The increase in own‑company optimism from the previous quarter.
• The reasons that both optimists and pessimists cite for their views.
• The "dance" that inflation and domestic economic conditions have done on the survey's list of top challenges.
• Projected revenue and profit growth in the coming 12 months.