SmallBusinessNewz

The good news - and this shouldn't be brushed off - is that we're not in "storm of the century" mode.  The bad news is that a new report from the National Federation of Independent Business indicates small business owners' optimism has reached the third-lowest point in 35 years.

Not a single component of the NFIB's optimism index went up between October and November.  If we're to reach for more acceptable news, our only option is the fact that earnings trends didn't get any worse.

All in all, things appear to have gone over a bit of a cliff, according to William Dunkelberg, the NFIB's chief economist.  "The decline in the index is a clear indication that the economy is solidly lodged in a recessionary mire," he declared in a statement.

Dunkelberg then continued, "The third-quarter decline in Gross Domestic Product was not large, 0.3 percent at an annual rate, but consumer spending - 70 percent of GDP - was down more than 3 percent.  The consumer does not appear ready to get into a holiday mood to save the fourth quarter numbers."

It's a frustrating and baffling situation.  Perhaps you can play a CD of carefully selected Christmas songs that focus on gift-giving and -getting?  Or child-centric businesses can at least launch ad campaigns showing how little Bobby won't like near-empty boxes with notes that read, "Sorry, but we're in a recession."