Mubasher: Positive sentiment among US small businesses was at its highest level since four months during April, according to the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey.

Small business optimism index climbed by 1.7% to 103.5 points last April, the NFIB said on Tuesday.

“America’s small and independent businesses are rebounding from the first quarter ‘shut down, slow down’ and don’t appear to be looking back,” NFIB’s CEO Juanita Duggan said.

Nine of the ten index components saw gains, with increases of two points in the gauges tracing plans to hire more employees, current job openings, expectations of economic improvement and current inventories at 18%, 13%, -4%, and 25% respectively.

The sub-indices gauging earnings trends and expectations regarding credit conditions among small businesses, have also improved in April.

The gauge tracking plans to make capital outlays stood unchanged at 27%.

“The continued economic boom is thanks, in a major way, to strong growth in the small business half of the economy,” Duggan said.