Dun & Bradstreet forecasts Slow but Steady Growth for US Economy into 2017
Friday, December 4, 2015The US economy will close out 2015 with a 2.5% growth rate, according to Dun & Bradstreet’s latest economic forecast. Growth in the US economy will accelerate slightly to 2.7% in 2016 and 2.9% in 2017.
The most important driver of D&B’s near-term outlook for the US is the D&B Small Business Health Index (SBHI), which measures small businesses’ health as reflected in their payment patterns, failure rates, and utilization on credit.
The SBHI rose decisively during September 2015, the latest reporting period. Prior to this, the index had essentially stagnated for three straight months. Thanks to a solid 1.5-point jump in September, the SBHI came in at 97.8, the highest reading registered in 2015. This brought the Q3 average of the SBHI to 96.8, more than a point higher than the Q2 average of 95.5, but still somewhat short of the SBHI’s December 2014 peak of 98.7.
In other words, a gradual improvement in the US operating environment in the near term is expected, but small businesses still face modest headwinds.
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