It takes self-confidence to be the chief executive. Faith in the business environment is another matter.
Edward Kopko, CEO of Chief Executive magazine, told "Morning Call" that the C-level executives his publication surveyed fear the U.S. economy may be faltering.
Speaking even as oil prices began to rise again, Kopko explained to CNBC's Dylan Ratigan that the factors making CEOs the most anxious are ballooning federal spending and the specter of interest-rate hikes. Of the several opinion indices Chief Executive tabulates and maintains, he said the key "investment conditions" metric had dropped the most.