by Calculated Risk on 11/10/2020 08:31:00 AM

Most of this survey is noise, but sometimes there is some information, especially on the labor market.

From the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): May 2020 Report

The NFIB Optimism Index remained at 104.0 in October, unchanged from September and a historically high reading.
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As reported in NFIB’s monthly jobs report, small business owners are looking to hire, reporting a historically high level of job openings in October. Overall, 55% of owners reported hiring or trying to hire in October, down 1 point from September. Thirty-three percent (seasonally adjusted) of all owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period, down 3 points from September’s report.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows the small business optimism index since 1986.

The index was unchanged in October.