WASHINGTON — Small-business owners’ optimism continued its downward trend in December, keeping the sour note that held steady for most of 2009, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).
In December, NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index decreased 0.3 point to 88 from November. The index has been below 90 for 15 straight months, reflecting the difficulty of the year overall. The index’s lowest reading was 80.1 in 1980.
