For some advisors, the greatest economic worry isn't the housing debacle, credit crunch or rising prices. It's a Democrat in the Oval Office.
Regarding the upcoming presidential election, 22% of advisors say that a Democratic administration is their single greatest economic worry, according a poll conducted by Brinker Capital, an investment management firm in Berwyn, Pa.
Of the three main presidential candidates, advisors believe that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain would most likely have a positive impact on the economy. But when asked to choose which Democrat would serve the economy better, 54% chose Barack Obama versus 46% for Hillary Clinton.
Nearly half of the respondents (48%) believe the new president's top priority should be bolstering a weak economy, followed by 16% who said it should be winning back America's respect in the eyes of the world and 13% who said it should be shoring up a falling dollar. Other noted priorities included curbing high gas prices, Iraq troop reduction and health care reform.
The Brinker Barometer surveyed 266 advisors online in March. Among other findings, 64% of advisors say they are either "highly confident" or "somewhat confident" about the U.S. economy, and 66% feel the same way about the financial markets.
And when asked to name the areas where they'd most welcome federal intervention, 65% chose supporting a weakened dollar, 59% favored stabilizing the financial markets, and 31% picked cutting interest rates before year's end. Other responses included discouraging job outsourcing to foreign nations, regulating gas prices and providing financial relief to embattled homeowners.