Orange County business leaders have gotten more pessimistic about the prospects for the start of the coming year, according to California State University, Fullerton economists led by Anil Puri.
Their over outlook index, the OCBX, for the first quarter of 2026 fell to 66%, from 74.4% for the quarter that is just now ending.
The OCBX index, prepared in conjunction with the Orange County Business Council,  is a measure of the overall view of the economy, and it is constructed from other variables in the CSUF survey. A reading above 50 indicates future growth in the economy.
“Inflation was again the most important concern for the first quarter of 2026 same as the last quarter, followed by interest rates,” according to the survey.
