Sales executives in Sweden think the future looks bright.

• Nordic private equity investments boom
• Export companies hike Sweden’s economy

Swedish sales executives have an optimistic view of the future, according to a survey by PMP Marknadskonsult that was published in business daily Dagens Industri. More than 80 of the 100 polled sales managers at companies listed at the Stockholm exchange believe that sales will increase during the rest of the year.

Companies within the IT, telecom and engineering sectors were the most optimistic. Small firms were more upbeat than large.

Most of the sales managers eye a maximum 10 percent increase while 37 percent believe sales will rise even more. Only four percent think sales will decline.

Eighty percent of Sweden’s biggest companies reported earnings that exceeded analysts’ estimates last quarter, according to a sum-up by Bloomberg. At the same time the country’s economy grew faster than expected. The figures indicate the largest Nordic economy may be headed for the biggest economic rebound in the European Union.

Also private equity firms in the Nordic region is on the lookout for opportunities to spend cash that’s been largely idle for the past two years. Today private-equity investment is on the brink to match a pre-crisis record, a new report said.