Bureau of Business Research
Date of this Version
11-4-2016
Document Type
Article
Citation
Prepared by the UNL College of Business Administration, Bureau of Business Research
Abstract
The gap between business and consumer confidence closed in Nebraska during October. The Consumer Confidence Index – Nebraska (CCI-N) rose to 94.0 during October, from a value of 87.9 in September. A reading of 94.0 is still below the neutral value of 100. The outlook of Nebraska businesses was also closer to neutral than in the previous months. Businesses were only slightly optimistic in October, with respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Business neutral on sales and only slightly optimistic regarding employment. Twenty-four percent of businesses expect sales to rise over the next 6 months, while the same percent expect sales to fall. Ten percent of businesses expect to expand employment over the next six months, while 7 percent expect to reduce it. When asked about the most important issue facing their business, customer demand was mentioned most frequently, followed by regulation and the availability and quality of labor. In particular, many respondents expressed concerns about the price of agricultural commodities. Households reported a variety of financial concerns with 48 percent reporting that their primary financial concerns relate to the cost of living including health care costs, taxes, major expenses (furniture, appliances, automobiles or college tuition) and the general cost of living.
Comments
Copyright 2016 Eric Thompson