US small business confidence dips in October, NFIB says
Small business confidence in the US slipped last month but remained near record highs.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses's small business optimism index retreated from a reading of 107.9 for September to 107.4 in October, which fell short of a consensus forecast for a print of 108.0.
Nevertheless, according to the business lobby group, business owners believed it was a "good time" to expand substantially and amid high sales figures were planning to invest more in inventory.
The NFIB also highlighted the 45-year record high level of business owners reporting that they had one or more unfilled job vacancies.
In a statement, the NFIB stressed what it said were the benefits for businesses from government actions to roll-back courts' imposition of the prior administration's Affordable Care Act, pointing out America's recent rise back to the top spot in the World Economic Forum's ranking of the world's most competitive countries.
"All this has changed as the federal government's grip on the private sector has been, and continues to be, significantly reduced," NFIB said in a statement.