Economics

U.S. Small-Business Optimism Declines to an Eight-Month Low

Small-business owners became the most pessimistic since November 2013 about the outlook for general business conditions.

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Optimism among U.S. small businesses fell in January to an eight-month low as the outlook for economic conditions deteriorated sharply.

The National Federation of Independent Business index of sentiment decreased by 0.5 points to 95, the third-straight decline, the group said Tuesday. The figure was weaker than the median projection of 96.8 in a Bloomberg survey of economists.