ChangeWave's latest corporate IT purchasing survey shows an accelerating collapse in U.S. business spending that has reached historic proportions - with record pullbacks occurring both in the current 4th Quarter and going forward.

In one of the survey's few upbeat findings, the corporate smart phone market continues to show growth - with Research in Motion (RIM) maintaining its huge lead, but Apple (AAPL) continuing to make inroads in small to medium-sized businesses.

A total of 1,926 respondents involved with IT spending in their organization participated in the ChangeWave survey, conducted November 6-12, 2008.


U.S. Corporate IT Spending Breakdown

Simply put, the IT spending projections for 1st Quarter 2009 are abysmal - the worst ever for a ChangeWave survey dating back to 2001. An unprecedented 45% of respondents say their company's IT spending will decrease (or there will be no spending at all) in the 1st Quarter - 16-pts worse than our previous survey.

Only 10% say spending will increase - a 3-pt drop from previously.

Will the economic recession lead to a major worldwide decline in the water project spending worldwide?

Quite possibly, according to the latest ChangeWave survey on water industry trends, which shows tough financial times are causing a dramatic slowdown in planned water project expenditures.

Just one-in-three water industry respondents (33%) say overall spending will increase during the next year - less than half the percentage we saw in our February 2008 survey. Another 28% say spending will decrease - a 7-fold jump from previously.

The ChangeWave survey, conducted October 16 - 22, 2008, was composed of 116 respondents who work for companies in the water industry.

The one silver lining in the results is that even though the water spending growth rate is projected to plummet, these respondents still project positive growth - albeit by a very slight margin.

Dismal 90-Day Outlook Hits All Major Spending Categories

If you think October was bad for U.S. retailers, wait till you see what's in store for November.

ChangeWave's latest consumer spending survey shows yet another giant downturn in U.S. consumer spending going forward. And relatively speaking, it's far more pronounced than the October downturn.

The survey of 2,763 U.S. consumers, completed November 3rd, focused on spending patterns for the next 90 days, including the holiday season. Here's what we found:

Grim Consumer Spending Outlook

Nearly three-in-five (59%) respondents now say they'll spend less money over the next 90 days, 7-pts worse than previously. Only one-in-ten (10%) say they'll spend more - 8-pts worse than previously.

"These findings strongly support the thesis that fourth-quarter earnings will be far more painful than currently expected," said Tobin Smith, founder of ChangeWave Research and editor of ChangeWave Investing.

But why are consumers spending less? Saving More Money (33%; up 7-pts) and Reducing Debt (31%; up 2-pts) were cited as the dominant reasons. Reduced Income (33%; up 7-pts) has also shot up as a main reason.

AT&T holds lead in new customers; Verizon still tops in satisfaction

By Paul Carton

November 12, 2008

Can you hear me now?

Apparently yes - if you are one of the two leading cellular service providers.

In September, we conducted a consumer survey on cellular service provider trends, and took a closer look at what is now clearly a two-horse race for leadership of the industry between AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ).

A total of 2,883 members of the ChangeWave Research Network participated.

In the hotly contested battle for current market share among cell phone owners, AT&T (30%; unchanged) holds a slight market share lead over Verizon (29%; unchanged).

Verizon, however, is still the clear favorite in terms of customer satisfaction.

Currently, 43% say they are Very Satisfied with Verizon's service. AT&T (29%) is a distant second, followed by T-Mobile (24%) and Sprint/Nextel (S; 20%).

By Paul Carton

November 4, 2008

A greater than expected pullback is occurring in software spending.

That's according to ChangeWave's latest corporate software survey, which points to a striking deterioration in software spending plans for the next 90 days. Moreover, in a sharp reminder of the severity of the current U.S. recession, the purchasing decline cuts across all software categories.

The ChangeWave survey was conducted October 6-15, 2008, and a total of 1,841 respondents involved with their company's software spending participated.

Software Industry Faces Hard Times Ahead

In the most telling finding of the survey, 40% of corporate software purchasers now say their company will spend less on software over the next 90 days - a whopping 15-points worse than the previous ChangeWave survey in July.

Only 8% say they'll spend more - 4-pts worse than previously.