Optimism among American manufacturers rose in the fourth quarter despite concerns about trade uncertainties, surging insurance costs, and other sector-related challenges, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) said in a statement on Dec. 17.
NAM conducted its 2025 fourth-quarter outlook survey among 241 small, medium, and large manufacturers, and found “69.9 percent of respondents felt either somewhat or very positive about their company’s outlook, up 4.9 percentage points from Q3 2025.”
The association attributed the improvement in optimism to positive impacts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and President Donald Trump’s regulatory agenda.
Trump signed the bill into law in July, which provided business owners with ways to lower their tax burden and improve cash flows….