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NFIB Small Business Optimism Index  
Released On 1/8/2019 6:00:00 AM For Dec, 2018
 PriorConsensusConsensus RangeActual
Index104.8 104.0 100.7  to 105.0 104.4 
US 6-Mo ChartGlobal Current
performance relative to consensus

Consensus Outlook
The small business optimism index is expected to ease slightly to 104.0 in December vs November's 104.8. November saw dips in economic optimism, sales expectations, and current job openings.

Relative Performance Index

Econoday's RPI provides a handy summary measure of how an economy has recently been evolving relative to market expectations.
A reading above zero means that the economy in general has been performing more strongly than expected and vice versa for a reading below zero. The closer is the value to the maximum (+100) or minimum (-100) levels, the greater is the degree to which markets have been under- or over-estimating economic activity. A zero outturn would imply that, on average, the market consensus has been correct. Note too that the index is sensitized to place extra weight upon those indicators that investors consider to be the most important.

 

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. Why Investors Care

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