The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) releases the June 2025 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) today. Overall, confidence in the equipment finance market is 58.2, a return to historically more positive levels after dramatic lows in April and May. The index provides a qualitative assessment of both prevailing business conditions and future expectations, as reported by key executives from the $1.3 trillion equipment finance sector.

When asked about the outlook for the future, MCI-EFI survey respondent Jim DeFrank, EVP and Chief Operating Officer, Isuzu Finance of America, Inc., said, “As companies are getting a better feel for where tariffs will land, it’s very plausible we’ll see pent-up demand begin to release, backlogged or postponed purchases resurface, and a shift in financing behavior. Leasing in particular could spike, as companies look to preserve cash while still upgrading assets.”

June 2025 Survey Results

The overall MCI-EFI is 58.2, up from the May index of 44.5.

• Business conditions – When asked to assess their business conditions over the next four months, 29.6% of the executives responding said they believe business conditions will improve over the next four months, an increase from 4% in May. 59.3% believe business conditions will remain the same over the next four months, up from 52% the previous month. 11.1% believe business conditions will worsen, down from 44% in May.
• Capex demand – 29.6% of the survey respondents believe demand for leases and loans to fund capital expenditures (capex) will increase over the next four months, up from 8% in May. 55.6% believe demand will “remain the same” during the same four-month time period, up from 44% the previous month. 14.8% believe demand will decline, a decrease from 48% in May.
• Access to capital – 18.5% of the respondents expect more access to capital to fund equipment acquisitions over the next four months, up from 4.2% in May. 81.5% of executives indicate they expect the “same” access to capital to fund business, down from 95.8% the previous month. None expect “less” access to capital, unchanged from May.
• Employment – When asked, 33.3% of the executives report they expect to hire more employees over the next four months, an increase from 24% in May. 66.7% expect no change in headcount over the next four months, down from 72% last month. None expect to hire fewer employees, down from 4% in May.
• U.S. economy – None of the leadership evaluates the current U.S. economy as “excellent,” unchanged from May. 96.3% evaluate the economy as “fair,” up from 84% the previous month. 3.7% evaluate it as “poor,” down from 16% in May.
• Economic outlook – 29.6% of the survey respondents believe that U.S. economic conditions will get “better” over the next six months, up from 12% in May. 51.9% indicate they believe the U.S. economy will “stay the same” over the next six months, up from 44% last month. 18.5% believe economic conditions in the U.S. will worsen over the next six months, a decrease from 44% the previous month.
• Business development spending – In June, 18.5% of respondents indicated they believe their company will increase spending on business development activities during the next six months, down from 32% the previous month. 77.8% believe there will be “no change” in business development spending, an increase from 64% in May. 3.7% believe there will be a decrease in spending, relatively unchanged from last month.