Econintersect: February posted positive numbers in job growth, according to the National Federation of Independent Business, which reports a modest increase of .4 points in its latest Index of Small-Business Optimism. Econintersect analyst Doug Short dove into the data showing it remains depressionary.
Please follow Doug’s analysis NFIB: Small Business Sentiment Improves Slightly
Seven Index components advanced or were unchanged and three fell, but all of the changes, positive or negative, were small. And “weak sales” still holds the most votes by owners as their top business problem. It was not the hoped-for surge that would signal a shift into “second gear” for economic growth.
The index values this month:
This month’s reading to 94.5. Most notably, hiring and future plans to hire were solid and hopefully presage a string of steady job creation months this year. While historically weak, these relative gains signal good news for a sector still deeply encumbered by weak sales. Still, only a net 9 percent of small-business owners surveyed expect that business conditions will improve over the next six months.
