Economically, there was a sense of relief, with 35 per cent thinking the global economy was more robust than they had expected, more than double the 17 per cent who felt it was less robust.

Over the coming years, however, this might change. Seven per cent of readers said their company was already invested in space technology, with a further 5 per cent planning to do so in the next three years. And 76 per cent of readers either strongly or slightly agreed with the statement that “the global potential of the space sector is substantial but currently untapped”. Further evidence, perhaps, that the global battle to shape the new space economy has only just begun.

Either way, the sentiment on the global economic outlook remained positive. In Q3 ’24, 45 per cent of FT readers were bullish about global economic conditions by the end of last year, compared with 29 per cent who took the bear stance. Was Gillian Tett correct back in January when she outlined her 10 reasons to be optimistic about the year ahead?

...the big stories of 2024 were sustained pessimism among those working in education; volatility in the CEMEA energy/manufacturing/engineering sector; the bullishness of the tech sector, particularly in the US; and turbulence in the UK’s retail/travel/leisure industries.

Globally, the mood among FT readers in education was downbeat throughout the year, with just 26 per cent of those working in the sector thinking that things will improve over the next six months, a number which falls to just 11 per cent in the UK. How significant were the new visa rules for international students?

FT readers in the CEMEA region who work in the energy/manufacturing/engineering sector started the year in high spirits: 63 per cent thought things would improve in Q1, a proportion that had fallen to 36 per cent by Q3, possibly driven by a growing sense that the crises rocking German industries have no easy fix.

It has been a bumpy year for those working in the UK’s retail/travel/leisure industries. In Q2 ’24, 54 per cent of readers in the sector thought things would improve, and only 8 per cent thought things would decline in the near future, but by Q3 ’24, decline and improve were level-pegging on 38 per cent. Is growing frustration at low visitor numbers behind this? And how much is the end to tax-free shopping a factor?

Globally, the three standout priorities for 2024 were cost-cutting (one of the top four priorities for 38 per cent of FT readers in Q3), improving market share (34 per cent) and finding and keeping talent (33 per cent). Among readers who work in education, the imperative to find and keep talent jumped to 48 per cent – evidence, perhaps, that the teacher recruitment crisis is not confined to the UK.

Interestingly, one of the biggest shifts over the course of the year was the decline in FT readers who prioritised “developing an AI strategy” (down from 19 per cent in Q1 to 12 per cent in Q3). In part, this might reflect the fact that 13 per cent of respondents work for organisations that are already implanting an AI strategy. But it could also be that FT economic writer Tej Parikh is right to make the bear case for AI, given the relatively low digitalisation of high economic impact sectors including “Industry,” “Transportation,” and “Food.”

When it comes to FT readers’ confidence in their organisation’s ability to successfully navigate the current economic and geopolitical climate, the story of 2024 was again one of considerable continuity, with net confidence holding steady between 76 and 79 per cent. However, there was a steady erosion of optimism in the IT industry, particularly among the sector’s C-suite (down from 85 per cent confidence in Q1 ’24 to 61 per cent in Q3 ’24), perhaps reflecting a growing recognition that AI exuberance is masking broad weaknesses carried over from the post-pandemic downturn.

The value of corporate messaging remains significant to an overwhelming majority of FT readers with 85 per cent agreeing that it is important to communicate with customers. There is also considerable agreement over messaging content, with “trust” (50 per cent in Q3 ’24) and “performance” (48 per cent) consistently the top two picks across the year. In the UK, “trust” has ranked first since Q1 ’23 – a reflection, perhaps, of the impact of the long-running Post Office scandal and its effect on the nation’s faith in corporate governance.

Among the year’s interesting trends was the diminishing importance of ESG. After a high of 41 per cent in Q2 ’24 it was rated as a messaging priority by just 29 per cent in Q3 ’24, a reflection, possibly, of the outflows that have recently dogged ESG funds.