Small Business Confidence Rebounded in Early July: CFIB

Canadian small business confidence improved sharply in early July, according to the latest Business Barometer released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB).

The CFIB's long-term optimism index, which measures business owners' expectations over the next 12 months, rose to 58.3 in the first half of July—an increase of about eight points from June.

Short-term confidence also strengthened, with the three-month outlook climbing to 57.0, indicating improved expectations for business conditions in the months ahead.

At the same time, businesses' plans to increase prices eased slightly, with expected price increases falling to 2.7 per cent.

The survey was conducted between July 7 and 13, before the United States announced its latest round of tariffs, meaning the results do not reflect the potential impact of those measures on business sentiment.

The CFIB said the July findings suggest Canadian small businesses were becoming more optimistic about the economic outlook before the latest trade developments with the United States.