SMALL BUSINESS CONFIDENCE IS HIGH.
During the third quarter of 2018, the CNBC | SurveyMonkey Small Business Confidence Survey registered a 62, an all-time record. The survey found that 58% of small business owners say current conditions for their businesses are good, while a record 33% expect to hire additional fulltime workers.
COLLEGE PAYS.
You probably know that college graduates typically average significantly more earnings over a lifetime, but they benefit in another way, too: They are more likely to keep their jobs. The unemployment rate in August 2018 was 2.1% for people age 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or more. This compares (for the same period and age group) to 3.9% for those with some college and 5.7% for those with no college but a high school diploma. The overall national unemployment rate (age 16 and older) was 3.9% in August 2018. In every category, the jobless rate dropped over the past year.
SMALL BUSINESS NOT PREPARED.
Half of small business leaders believe their businesses are not a target for cybercriminals, according to a report by IT leader Switchfast. Many do not have policies to help stem cyberattacks such as breaches or the actions of negligent employees.
FUTURE INFLATION?
In its August 2018 report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that prices for U.S. imports rose 3.7% during the past year. There has not been a 12-month decline since October 2016. Could this August report on import prices be a harbinger of inflation to come?