Many small-business owners continued to hold positive expectations about future business conditions even though optimism declined on a monthly basis in January, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
“The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index fell by 2.3 points in January to 102.8,” the association said in a Feb. 11 statement.
Despite the monthly decline, the January figure was the second highest since October 2020, bested only by the recent December 2024 reading of 105.1.
“Small-business owners greeted the new year with a surge in optimism. 17 percent (seasonally adjusted) now view the current period as a good time to expand substantially, up from just 4 percent a few months ago,” the survey report said….