by Calculated Risk on 7/14/2015 10:45:00 AM

From the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB): Small Business Takes Significant Hit in June

The Small Business Optimism Index fell 4.2 points to 94.1 ... The 42 year Index average is 98.0, while the pre-recession average is 99.5 (1974-2007). This leaves the current reading 4 points below the overall average ...

It looks like small businesses “hired in May and then went away”. So, small businesses took a breather from job creation in June after a string of five solid months of job creation. On balance, owners added a net -0.01 workers per firm in recent months, essentially zero.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows the small business optimism index since 1986.

The index decreased to 94.1 in June from 98.3 in May.  This is the lowest level since May 2014.