) Business said on Tuesday its Small Business Optimism Index jumped 8.0 points to 101.7 last month, the highest level since June 2021. Donald Trump won the race for the White House and his Republican Party clinched control of the U.S. Congress in last month's elections.
The share of small business owners expecting the economy to improve soared 41 points to 36%, the largest since June 2020. About 32% of owners reported raising compensation, up a point from October. The share planning to increase compensation over the next three months vaulted 5 points to 28%, the highest reading this year."Wage hikes are necessary to maintain current employment and hopefully to help fill vacancies," said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist at the NFIB.