Small biz expectations rising, but precious little else is

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on November 10, 2009 at 10:00 am

The latest NFIB small-business optimism survey shows a glimmer of optimism about where the economy is headed, but not much in the way of rising sales or better access to credit.

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Tags: business sentiment, business spending, entrepreneurship, National Federation of Independent Business, small business, survey  

No green shoots for developers

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on October 30, 2009 at 12:12 pm

Marty Heflin of M2H Group says the mood is just plain sour.

“Heaven in 2011?” I am not so sure. In conversations with fellow developers, lenders and investors primarily in the Southeast region, I am not hearing a lot of talk about “green shoots.” I am seeing a lot of downcast faces and concern. The central problem continues to be two-fold: a) the land sellers and asset holders that are distressed haven’t gotten the memo yet and b) the credit markets remain shut tighter than the back of a Swiss watch.

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Tags: business sentiment, commercial real estate, construction, M2H Group LLC, real estate development, urban development  

Small biz cheering up

By Geert De Lombaerde Posted on May 12, 2009 at 7:56 am

The latest sentiment survey from the National Federation of Independent Business shows a big gain in entrepreneurs’ expectations of the economy as a whole and their own sales.

The month’s real bounce was the soft indicators, the “feel good” portion of the survey. The outlook for general business conditions moved sharply higher, jumping by 24 points and leaving a majority judging that conditions would improve over the next three to six months.

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Tags: business sentiment, consumer spending, entrepreneurs, National Federation of Independent Business, small business