Rebound Offsets Much Of February’s Decline
On Tuesday, the NFIB released its Small Business
Optimism Index for March, showing that the gauge rose 2 points to 93.4. That
represents a reversal of most of February’s decline, and is better than the
93.0 reading expected by economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal. NFIB
chief economist Bill Dunkelberg said, “Overall, the March gain more or less
reversed the February decline. While the Index still can’t seem to get above
95, we can be encouraged that the economy is at least crawling forward and not
heading in reverse.” NFIB says that in a strong recovery, the index would be
over 100.
The business
media is interpreting March’s index reading as a sign that small businesses are
making a comeback following the harsh winter that engulfed much of the nation,
despite still being low by historic standards. In particular, the sharp rise in
the percentage of small businesses that expect sales to rise in the next three
months is considered a positive sign.
Further Reading:
The NFIB
Release of
the data is online, while media coverage includes stories from the Los
Angeles Times,
the Dow Jones
Newswire,
and Reuters, as well as smaller outlets such
as the Greenville
(SC) News.
Watch the video below for a recap of last month’s results
