| Consensus | Consensus Range | Previous | |
| level | 105.0 | 103.5 to 105.7 | 103.0 |
Market Consensus Before Announcement
The small business optimism index has been at expansion highs though September did see some cooling, to 103.0 for the lowest reading of the year. Sales expectations and business plans showed the most weakness. Econoday’s call for October is a bounce back to 105.0.
Definition
The small business optimism index is compiled from a survey that is conducted each month by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) of its members. The index is a composite of 10 seasonally adjusted components based on the following questions: plans to increase employment, plans to make capital outlays, plans to increase inventories, expect economy to improve, expect real sales higher, current inventory, current job openings, expected credit conditions, now a good time to expand, and earnings trend.
Description
Small businesses are responsible for a majority of new job creation and the NFIB focuses on this sector of the economy. The direction of the health of small businesses can portend changes in the stock market – especially small caps.
