Financial crisis weighs on executives' minds

By Patrick M. Fitzgibbons

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The most serious financial crisis in decades has caused business executives around the world to rein in their expectations for short- and long-term growth and warn investors that business volatility will be around for some time to come.

In a series of interviews with Reuters reporters, these executives -- from industries as varied as software, chemicals and leisure -- spoke of the widening global credit crisis and their many concerns.

Most said they were keeping a close eye on Washington, to see if U.S. lawmakers pass a $700 billion bailout package designed to halt the crisis.

The following are excerpts and highlights from interviews with executives in the past week:

MICROSOFT CORP CEO STEVE BALLMER:

Ballmer said the global crisis will sap consumer and business spending, affecting all companies, including his own.

"Financial issues are going to affect both business spending and consumer spending, and particularly ... spending by the financial services industry," Ballmer told reporters at a news conference in Oslo.

"We have a lot of business with the corporate sector as well as with the consumer sector, and whatever happens economically will certainly effect itself on Microsoft," he told Reuters.

"I think one has to anticipate that no company is immune to these issues," he said, but declined to be more specific.

Ballmer said he believed the U.S. Congress would soon help stabilize the situation.

"I trust that before the end of the week we have some resolution, at least in the U.S. Congress, that will help to stabilize the situation. We need that. I hope we get that," he said.

INTEL CORP CHAIRMAN CRAIG BARRETT:

Intel will continue to invest in products and technologies even though it sees that a U.S. financial meltdown is likely to affect the emerging markets that are crucial for its growth, Barrett said.

"I think you'd have to be prudent and assume that if the financial marketplace melts down there's going to be some impact. But nobody's predicting that, nobody knows how big it's going to be," he said.

"The only thing we can do is look at that part of our future destiny that we can control, and that's our investment in the future, in the products we create and the technologies we create," he said.