Small Biz Confidence In Canada Continues To Rise

The country that’s above America on most maps is also looking up with respect to the economic climate for small businesses.  The latest data from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business shows that optimism increased again in February.

The NFIB shared in an official statement, "Canadian small and mid-sized business optimism remained upbeat in February, making it three straight months in the healthy part of the index range.  CFIB’s Business Barometer Index weighed in at 69.4, up half a point from January, and a shade above last December’s reading."

CFIB vice president and chief economist Ted Mallett then added, "This is easily the most optimistic business owners have been post-recession.  Short term expectations are normally strong this time of year when many businesses start planning for the spring and summer seasons, but this February’s indications are even stronger than February 2010."

Don’t think that all this talk is making the best of a bad situation, either (as in "stronger than February 2010 but still awful").  A Business Barometer Index score above 50 means the majority of business owners expect to see some level of improvement in the next year.

Then a Business Barometer Index score between 65 and 75 is customary when the economy is growing, so we’re well within that range.

The CFIB’s findings were based on 903 survey responses, by the way, meaning a reasonable number of people contributed their thoughts.