NFIB Small Business Optimism
Small business optimism remains relatively strong, but it has been losing strength over the past year, falling 1.3 points to 101.8 in September. The primary cause is uncertainty over trade policy and tariffs, which should come as no surprise. This is negatively impacting capital spending plans.
None of the index components rose last month!
Consumer Sentiment
In what should be good news for consumer spending, the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose sharply in October to 96.0 from 93.2 in September. In this survey, consumers see their real incomes rising