SmallBusinessNewz

Small businesses had a little more confidence in the economy in May than they did in April. Credit card issuer Discover polled small business owners for its Small Business Watch monthly survey, discovering a small rise in the Confidence Index it records.

Discover said that Index gained more than five and a half points in May to 81.8, up from 76.1 in April, as a measure of confidence in the economy. The reason comes down to cash flow: when it's good, Discover thinks confidence increases.

The percentage of small businesses affected by cash flow issues continued to decline, with only 39 percent of Discover's survey citing such problems over the past 90 days. More than 40 percent pointed to that as a concern in March and April.

In other findings pointed out by Discover, 28 percent of owners say that economic conditions for their business are getting better, an increase over 24 percent in April; 71 percent of small business owners think the US economy is getting worse, a decrease from 76 percent in April.

We're interested in how small businesses perceive the economy in the coming summer months, before the holiday shopping season starts to roll. Gas prices at or near $4 a gallon seem unlikely to decline during the warmer months, and that expense will continue to touch every part of a business.