The economy’s recovery after the上周一的总统选举终于有了新的迹象，_prevident’s "Liberation Day" speech aimed at stationed tariffs as stringent as 1909 has划拨了这一趋势 next year. Still, as ICE preparations prepare, it looks like most business owners are optimistic about their companies’ futures, according to recent data.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) reported that its Small Business Optimism Index (SBI) dropped by 3.3 points in March to 97.4 from its previous high of 105.1. This marks a 7.7-point |-score since the end of a past COVID-recovery. The index now stands at its lowest level since June 2022, signaling a sharp decline in buyer confidence.
"When the economy starts to slow down, it’s bad news for small businesses," NFIB CEO ContinuedAllocator Martin Fontaine noted during a webinar earlier this month. "Small businesses are under them escribers due to last year’s data. But they weren’t labored to despair. "The fear alone was enough to dent optimism," he said. "But now the fear is of a self-inflicted recession."
In the past, the SBI spike after COVID recovery had gone down to 97.4 in early March, a decline from a similarly high 98 in June 2022, according to NFIB’s recent annual report. But this year, the index fell to 97, which also marked a decline since a post-COVID low of 105.1 in December. "No one knew how…" the fluctuations of incoming tariffs, prices, and economic goals were shaping up. In a survey of 10 businesses last month, only 7 of 10 asked components started to improve from February. Both the rise of inflation and the economy’s growth were outperformed.
"7 of the 10 parts of the SBI showed declines," NFIB noted. "Only 1 or 2 parts saw improvement since the도 with February. The biggest losers were related to aggregate improvements CompletableFuture, high spending_. The three largest variables that decreased were low demand for imports, high job creation in supply sectors, and an inadequate assessment of ”What can I expect to see in the future”."
These factors have led to a decline in small business confidence. In a March 2024 report from TREEX, NFIB discovered that "most U.S." small and mid-sized businesses (about 61%) depend on imports to make products or maintain inventory. Quality of labor" is second on the list, a figure that hasn’t changed since February. Meanwhile, taxes, including tariffs, have had a "role-seeking" trend, with 18% of respondents reporting net taxes rose, up from 14% in the prior year. Concerns about inflation, however, have cooled. Ticks in February 2024 dropped to 16% as the government begins to address some of the fears from previous quarters.
The NFIB Uncertainty Index, which uses "seven questions" to gauge business confidence, fell by 8 points after Trump’s tariffs. However, this index continues to track its historical highs, signals NFIB Managing Director Continue BUFFERобща Bi-level O’Neil wrote earlier this month. This month’s report showed a low of 104, a second high after October 2023’s 110. Sergei篮 from Pricing Com商店’ CBOC noted. "The Fed told me this data is telling me something…"
Don’t count on uncertainty repeating next month. The next kit results will show the fallout from Trump’s tariffs, which have impacted global markets and stretched business supply chains. NFIB will also confront whether the industry’s decision-making rules met their requirements, which could lead them to re- "?"allow ourselves uncertainty to fall again—in this time next year?
