RJ and Makay

The outlook at small U.S. companies is more positive than it's been in several years. In February, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) index of small company optimism rose to 94.5 — its highest level since December 2007. The index also isn't terribly far off the average of 100.7 it posted during the previous expansion that began in November 2001.

“The future is looking brighter for a few more small-business owners,” comments William Dunkelberg, NFIB chief economist. Still, he notes, “this is not a reading that characterizes a strongly rebounding economy.”