Small-business index gains in April - Business First of Columbus:

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points in April, with a majority of business owners expecting the economyt to improve over the next three tosix months. The percentage of small business owners who are optimistic aboug the economy jumped 24 points in the monthly survey. Sales expectations, which hit a record low in improved by20 points. Scores for six othef indicatorsalso increased, enablingb the index to rise to 86.8 still far below 100, the level that reflectw small business conditions in 1986.
NFIB Chief Economist Williak Dunkelbergcautioned “the improved numbers were still very so “no immediate turnabout” is likely for the About 30 percent of small businesses reducedx employment over the past three compared with 4 percent that increased the size of their work “It appears that owners are not through with their labor-basex cost cutting,” Dunkelberg said. A net 14 perceny of small-business owners reported that loans were harderto get, the highest reading since the recessionm of the early 1980s.