Small business index gains in April - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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points in April, with a majority of businesss owners expecting the economy to improve over the next three to six The percentage of small business owners who are optimistic about the economu jumped 24 points in the monthly survey. Sales expectations, which hit a recor low in March, improved by 20 Scores for six other indicatorsalso increased, enabling the indezx to rise to 86.8 still far below 100, the levekl that reflects small business conditions in 1986. NFIB Chie Economist William Dunkelbergcautioned “ther improved numbers were still very so “no immediate turnabout” is likel for the economy.
About 30 percent of small businessesa reduced employment over the pastthrede months, compared with 4 percent that increased the size of thei work force. “It appears that owners are not through withtheir labor-based cost Dunkelberg said. A net 14 percenyt of small-business owners reportex that loans were harderto get, the highest reading sincer the recession of the early 1980s.