The Small Business Optimism index fell to 95.3 in September from 96.1 in August, the National Federation of Independent Business reported Tuesday.
The index is five points below its 1973-2007 average, the group said.
"Small businesses just can't seem to get out of second gear. In order for the Index to get back to the average, responses to the 10 Index component questions would have to improve 50 percentage points cumulatively. That's a lot of 'positive' responses to makeup to get back to 'average' much less reach a level that means a solid recovery," said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg. "A decline in job openings and capital spending plans were primarily responsible for September's Index decline. Overall, small business owners are still stuck in a rut that has been difficult to escape."
