NFIB Small Business Optimism Index
A monthly gauge of how confident US small-business owners feel about the economy and their own prospects.
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rolls up answers from small-business owners on hiring plans, expected sales, capital spending, inventories and whether now is a good time to expand. The result is shown against a base of 100 set in 1986, so readings above that historical baseline are upbeat and readings below are gloomy.
Small firms feel inflation, credit and labour shortages quickly, so the survey's extra questions, such as how many owners plan to raise prices, get studied by people trying to forecast inflation.
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