US Small-Business Optimism Retreats From Highest Since 2018
- January NFIB index fell 2.3 points, dragged by spending plans
- Uncertainty index jumps by most in monthly data to 1986
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US small-business optimism declined in January from a more than six-year high and a gauge of uncertainty climbed as companies weighed Trump administration policies and the Federal Reserve’s pause on interest-rate cuts.
The National Federation of Independent Business optimism index fell 2.3 points to 102.8 last month. Seven of the 10 index components decreased, led by the steepest monthly decline in capital spending plans since 1995.