From the National Association of Manufacturers Monday Economic Report
January 17th, 2012
By: Chad Moutray
As noted by the National Association of Manufacturers, the Small Business Economic Trend indicates a monthly gain for the the fifth consecutive month.
NFIB Small Business Survey (December)
The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) released its monthly Small Business Economic Trends, with small business optimism rising from 92.0 in November to 93.8 in December. It was the fifth consecutive monthly gain, up from 88.1 in August.
Along with the gain in confidence, the net percentage of respondents saying that the next three months are a “good time to expand” increased to 10, its highest level since before the recession. Likewise, small business owners are also more optimistic about future sales, employment and capital spending.
Nonetheless, it is important to note that small businesses remain anxious despite these improvements. Traditionally, small businesses are experiencing strong growth once the optimism index exceeds 100 – a threshold that it has not been surpassed since 2006. Those suggesting that now is not a good time for expansion cited poor economic conditions and an unsettling political climate. The single most important problem continues to be “poor sales” followed by taxes and government regulations.
