Bureau of Business Research
Date of this Version
11-3-2017
Document Type
Article
Citation
Prepared by the UNL College of Business, Bureau of Business Research
Abstract
Nebraska’s consumer confidence remained weak during October while business confidence remained strong. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) stood at 95.1 in October, below the neutral value of 100.0. By contrast, the Nebraska business confidence remained strong. The Business Confidence Index – Nebraska (BCI-N) stood at 102.7 in October, below the September level of 105.2 but above the neutral value of 100.0. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was mentioned by 31 percent of business respondents. Businesses also faced growing competition in both the labor and product markets. The availability and quality of labor was mentioned as the most important issue by 25 percent of October respondents while 10 percent mentioned competition from other businesses. All percentages are similar to those reported in the September survey. Households reported a variety of financial concerns with 56 percent choosing the cost of living including health care costs, taxes, major expenses (furniture, appliances, automobiles) and the general cost of living. During October, nearly thirty percent of households reported that their primary financial issue related to paying off debt or building savings.
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Behavioral Economics Commons, Business Commons, Economic Theory Commons, Growth and Development Commons, Labor Economics Commons, Macroeconomics Commons, Political Economy Commons, Public Economics Commons, Regional Economics Commons
Comments
Copyright 2017 Eric Thompson, Bureau of Business Research