NFIB Small Business Optimism Rises in July - Modern Distribution Management

Log In

NFIB Small Business Optimism Rises in July

Index increases 1.3 points to 95.4 for the month.
Author
Date

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 1.3 points to 95.4 in July after dropping more than 4 points in June. Expectations for business conditions and real sales gains accounted for half of the net gain in the Index components.

"The best that can be said about the July index is that there was no further decline from June," said NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg.

Job creation was flat in July. On balance, owners added a net 0.05 workers per firm in recent months, better than June’s -0.01 reading, but still close to the zero line. Fifty-seven percent reported hiring or trying to hire (up 5 points), but 48 percent reported few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill.

Sixty-one percent reported capital outlays, up 3 points on top of a 4-point gain in June. Overall, a nice pickup in the frequency of spending reports. The percent of owners planning capital outlays in the next three to six months rose 1 point to 24 percent, not a strong reading historically but among the better in this expansion.

Earnings trends continued to deteriorate, posting a 2-point decline after a 10 point drop in June, falling to a negative 19 percent. Far more owners reporting profits lower quarter to quarter than higher.

Share this article

About the Author
Recommended Reading
Leave a Reply

Leave a Comment

Sign Up for the MDM Update Newsletter

The MDM update newsletter is your best source for news and trends in the wholesale distribution industry.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!

2

articles left

Want more Premium content from MDM?

Subscribe today and get:

  • New issues twice each month
  • Unlimited access to mdm.com, including 10+ years of archived data
  • Current trends analysis, market data and economic updates
  • Discounts on select store products and events

Subscribe to continue reading

MDM Premium Subscribers get:

  • Unlimited access to MDM.com
  • 1 year digital subscription, with new issues twice a month
  • Trends analysis, market data and quarterly economic updates
  • Deals on select store products and events

1

article
left

You have one free article remaining

Subscribe to MDM Premium to get unlimited access. Your subscription includes:

  • Two new issues a month
  • Access to 10+ years of archived data on mdm.com
  • Quarterly economic updates, trends analysis and market data
  • Store and event discounts

To continue reading, you must be an MDM Premium subscriber.

Join other distribution executives who use MDM Premium to optimize their business. Our insights and analysis help you enter the right new markets, turbocharge your sales and marketing efforts, identify business partners that help you scale, and stay ahead of your competitors.

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.