First it was the surge in the stock market, then record Thanksgiving shopping, a boom in consumer confidence and now… business optimism shoots through the roof.

That’s the finding from the just-released survey by the NFIB.

Small business optimism soared in the wake of the election, posting the largest one-month gain in the 39-year monthly history of the survey. The share of firms planning to increase employment rose in November to the highest level since May 2023.

Why the spurt? “Small business owners are much more confident about the outlook given an anticipated shift in economic policy following the election…”

The one danger spot: “Twenty percent of owners reported that inflation was their single most important problem in operating their business.” We hope Jerome Powell at the Fed is paying attention.