Small business optimism ticks up.(National Federation of Independent Business Education Foundation report)(Brief Article)

The recent up-and-down "pattern" of small business optimism continued in July, according to the National Federation of Independent Business Education Foundation. The Small-Business Optimism Index rose 1.3 points to 98.5, taking back about half of the previous month's decline.

"More small business owners are optimistic that both real sales and the economy generally will improve by the fourth quarter," said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist for the NFIB Education Foundation. "However, those hopes have not turned into increased capital outlays or much hiring, so for the immediate future it looks like we'll continue bouncing …