SmallBusinessNewz

The transition between June and July did not go as well for small businesses in Canada as we might have hoped.  The Canadian Federation of Independent Business found that its Business Barometer Index decreased a bit between the two months, indicating declining confidence.

Ted Mallett, the organization's chief economist and vice president, wrote on its site, "CFIB's Business Barometer Index fell modestly to 65.7 in July, compared to 66.4 in June - its third decline in the past four months.  Falling in 8 of 13 industry groupings and 7 of 10 provinces, these estimates suggest the economy is settling into a phase of slower growth."

Obviously, that's not good.  Lots and lots of growth would be welcome to make up for lost time, or at least to neutralize the effects of the recession.

Still, the figure's not terrible, either.  Mallett explained, "Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, an index level above 50 means owners expecting their business' performance to be stronger in the next year outnumber those expecting weaker performance.  According to past results, index levels normally range between 65 and 75 when the economy is growing."

So the economy's not out of steam quite yet.

Let's just hope the situation takes a turn for the better soon, because the CFIB's Business Barometer Index can't dip too much more without going below the 65.0 mark.