ChangeWave’s latest corporate quarterly survey shows encouraging signs for the U.S. economy – led by modestly improving 1st Quarter sales growth and new job hires. ChangeWave Research is a service of 451 Research.

The February 20-March 12 survey of 2,548 corporate respondents also shows upticks in capital spending and the 2nd Quarter sales pipeline, along with further improvement in the availability of credit for U.S. businesses.

More than any other survey of the past year, the current findings show improvement across a broad range of indicators. That said, the survey results continue to show the government “sequester” and its associated uncertainty as dampening growth – though far less than the fiscal cliff uncertainty of the previous quarter.

Report details include:

• Next Quarter Corporate Sales Pipeline Projections
• Overall Capital Budget Increases/Decreases
• Job Market Hiring and Layoff Trends
• Price and Inflationary Pressures in the Current Marketplace
• Impact of the Credit Market on Corporate Ability to Borrow
• Ability to Purchase Commodities
• Cancelled Orders
• Inventory Buildups and Declines
• Changes in Order Backlogs

The complete report is available here.