Reuters U.S. small business sentiment ebbs as inflation worries mount -NFIB
Reuters
U.S. small business sentiment ebbs as inflation worries mount -NFIB
Tue, April 12, 2022, 6:14 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. small business confidence fell in March, with the share of owners reporting that inflation was their single most important problem the largest since 1981, a survey showed on Tuesday.
The National Federation of Independent Business said its Small Business Optimism Index dropped 2.4 points to 93.2 last month, the third straight month of readings below the 48-year average of 98. The index has declined every month this year.
Thirty-one percent of owners identified inflation as their single most important problem, up 5 points from February. This was the biggest share since the first quarter of 1981 and replaced worries about "labor quality" as the No. 1 problem confronting small businesses.
The economy is experiencing high inflation caused by shortages, massive fiscal stimulus and low interest rates.
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