President Obama told chief executives yesterday that averting the fiscal cliff was job No. 1, the New York Times reports. The president signaled his support for business to the dozen leaders who attended yesterday's 90-minute meeting at the White House, but he shied away from specifics on how a compromise can be reached. Some business leaders had the impression that more detailed proposals would be forthcoming.

“I'd say everybody came away feeling pretty good about the whole discussion,” said David M. Cote, chief executive of Honeywell, according to the Times. “Now, all of us are C.E.O.'s, so we've learned not to confuse words with results. And that's what we still need to see.”

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