San Francisco Bay Area execs are optimistic.

• Position: Survey Says - Brief Article

Despite the economic slowdown and uncertainty following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a recent survey of San Francisco Bay Area business executives finds that 70 percent believe the regional economy has reached bottom and will hold steady or improve over the next six months, according to survey results released by the Bay Area Council, a CEO-led, public-policy organization.

"As one of the first measures of business confidence since Sept. 11, this is a key indicator of the business expectations that underlie actual economic performance for the Bay Area," states Sunne Wright McPeak, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council. "The Business Confidence Survey reflects more optimism--although cautious--than expected."

Substantiating this optimism, 22 percent of the respondents expect to increase the number of employees working for them in the next two quarters. And, 75 percent...