Abstract
Under the direction of James Hughes, the Bloustein School surveyed all 92 member institutions of the New Jersey Bankers Association and received a 73 percent response rate. This year’s survey results indicate a soaring confidence in the US economy. Nearly 85 percent of respondents indicated the national economy’s health as “good,” and a record 10 percent rated it as “excellent.” For the first time in the survey’s history, no one rated it as “poor.” While somewhat more muted than sentiments toward the national economy, confidence in the NJ economy is nonetheless surging. 42 percent of respondents rated New Jersey’s economic health as “good” in 2018, compared to 15 percent in 2016. Still, 2018 marks the eighth consecutive year in which no respondent has rated New Jersey’s economy as “excellent.”