Orange County business leaders have grown moderately more optimistic about the prospects for the current quarter, according to economists at California, State University Fullerton led by Anil Puri.
Their OCBX business expectations index for this quarter has shown a modest improvement, rising to 68.5% from 66% in the first quarter of 2026. A score above 50 on the OCBX indicates an expectation of future economic growth for Orange County.
The ongoing war with Iran, rising fuel costs, persistent inflation, and interest rates are identified as the most pressing challenges facing local firms, according to the CSUF survey.
