Examining the Supply & Demand for Small Business Loans

Last week one of my favorite pieces of economic data was released, the NFIB Small Business Economic Trend report. (pdf) This report, coupled with the Federal Reserve quarterly survey of senior loan officers gives us a good indication of the health of small business in the U.S.

The NFIB headline optimism index rose 2.7 points in September but is still at recessionary levels. Let’s dig a little deeper by looking at a series of charts. First up, is a look at the supply and demand of small business lending by examining the senior loan officer survey.