Executives’ confidence in the U.S. economy fell.

Business leaders in nearly all major industries are “far less confident” about the U.S. economy than they were a few months ago, the Conference Board said. The board’s quarterly survey of 1,000 top executives in 24 major industries found that the index of business confidence had tumbled to 50 in the third quarter from 61 in the first and second quarters of the year. Fewer than one-third of the executives surveyed expect the economy to improve during the next six months.