Small Business Optimism Rose Sharply After Election

Washington, DC, December 14, 2016—Small business optimism remained flat leading up to Election Day and then rocketed 3.5 points to 98.4 as business owners expected better conditions under new leadership in Washington, according to a special edition of the monthly NFIB Index of Small Business Optimism.

The full November index is just above the 42-year average and only the third time since 2007 that it has broken into above average territory.

Plans to hire jumped five points from the previous month. Expected higher sales rose from a net one% in October to net 11% in November. But the blockbuster was expected better business conditions, which shot from a net 7% to 12%.

Job creation plans increased from a net nine% through November 8 to a net 23% after the election. Expected higher sales rose 16 points, from a net 4% to a net 20%. Expected better business conditions, the biggest mover in the survey, rose from a net 6% to a net 38%, a massive 44-point spike.