Small businesses optimism in Sundre is on the upswing following the recession, said chamber president Sherry Tytkanych
“It think things are looking up,” she said. “I think little businesses are starting to pick up and are doing better. And that's always good news.”
The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses released statistics last week showing small business optimism is holding steady in Alberta.
CFIB's Business Barometer Index was 69.2 in March, virtually unchanged from February's 69.4 level.
"It should be noted however, that the majority of responses to the monthly survey were logged early in the month-before the earthquake and tsunami in Japan roiled international markets and before the election call in this country," said CFIB vice-president and chief economist, Ted Mallett.
"Elections don't normally have much impact on business optimism, and the initial market reactions to conditions in Japan have since seen at least a partial correction. But there is no doubt businesses are currently dealing with more uncertainty and interruptions to trade."
Business owners in western Canada are showing growing optimism, with Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta closely bunched at the top of the list as most optimistic, with index scores near 75-hot economies by recent standards.
Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, an index level above 50 means owners expecting their businesses' performance to be stronger in the next year outnumber those expecting weaker performance. According to past results, index levels normally range between 65 and 75 when the economy is growing. The March 2011 findings are based on 766 responses, collected from a stratified random sample of CFIB members, to a controlled-access web survey. Findings are statistically accurate to +/- 3 per cent 19 times in 20.
