Business economists are generally optimistic about the U.S. economy with most expecting stronger growth than last year’s poor performance.

Economists surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics also expect improved or unchanged sales and profits at their companies in the second quarter, with most reporting no changes in hiring or investment in response to policy changes expected after the November election.

Nearly two-thirds of economists in the poll released Monday expect gross domestic product growth of 2.1 percent to 3 percent in the next four quarters. That would be a significant improvement from anemic growth of 1.6 percent in 2016, the weakest showing in five years.

Since the Great Recession ended in June 2009, the economy has averaged annual GDP growth of just 2.1 percent, the slowest recovery since the end of World War II. Only 1 percent of the economists expected no growth or a decline in GDP