ChangeWave’s latest corporate quarterly survey shows encouraging signs for the U.S. economy going forward – even as 4th Quarter sales growth is holding firm.

The November 19 – December 10 survey of 2,079 corporate respondents points to a jump in capital spending, a slightly improved 1st Quarter sales pipeline, and greater availability of credit for U.S. businesses.

And although the survey also shows some softness in the labor market compared with last quarter, it’s still the best 4Q hiring outlook of the past four years. ChangeWave Research is a service of 451 Research.

Report details include:

• Willingness of Customers to Buy Products
• Hiring and Layoff Trends
• Capital Spending Growth Rate
• The Availability of Credit for U.S. businesses
• Price Pressures in the Current Marketplace
• Early Readings on Sales Pipelines

The complete report is available here.