WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The business owners' optimism about current conditions has reached the score of 40 for the first time in a decade.
"The rise in the index from the fourth quarter of last year to the first quarter this year is mostly a function of owners' increased optimism about current conditions, with the first-quarter score of 40 representing a 16-point jump since last quarter," a press release with the report stated.
The 40-point score was the highest since 2007 and up nearly 70 points from an all-time low of minus-29 in the first quarter of 2010, the release stated.
The surge in business confidence coincides with several reports last week showing the biggest monthly gain in job creation in recent years and a surge in US stock markets to record highs during the early weeks of President Donald Trump's administration.
