Sobering

In this morning’s release of the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, the headline reading fell from 93.1 down to 87.5 for a decline of 6%.  Since the NFIB began releasing the results of this survey on a monthly basis in 1986, there has never been a larger monthly drop.  The only other time the index saw a larger decline was back in April 1980 when the index saw a 13% drop from its January 1980 reading three months prior.  As shown in the chart below, in the nearly forty years that this index has been in existence, the only three prior periods where the index was below 90 was in 1974, 1980, and during the Financial Crisis.  Furthermore, all of these periods occurred during recessions. . . .

http://www.bespokeinvest.com/thinkbig/2012/12/11/the-president-and-every-member-of-congress-should-read-this.html