By Joshua Kirby
Small businesses in the U.S. are feeling a little less gloomy, though inflation remains the number-one headache.
The National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday that its small-business optimism index rose to 89.7 in April, marking the first time this year that businesses expressed a cheerier outlook. The reading remains well below the long-term average, nonetheless.
Price inflation is still businesses' primary cause of concern, but the proportion of owners flagging it as their single most important problem dropped from March.
"Cost pressures remain the top issue for small business owners," said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at NFIB. Higher wages are a key part of this concern, he said.
"Small business owners remain historically very pessimistic as they continue to navigate these challenges," Dunkelberg said.
Write to Joshua Kirby at joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-14-24 0614ET
