### Summary
Business confidence is negative at the beginning of the third quarter of this year, with a decline in expectations about purchase orders and investments.
### Facts
- 📉 Business confidence remains negative across almost all sectors, with exceptions in information and communication, and culture, sports, and recreation sectors.
- 👍 Retail trade, construction, and real estate sectors show improving confidence, although it remains the lowest in real estate.
- 📉 Car maintenance, repair services, and wholesale trade experience the biggest decline in confidence.
- 💼 Entrepreneurs' outlook on order positions is pessimistic, with a net 2 percent anticipating a drop in order values over the next quarter.
- 💼 Most sectors have a less optimistic or more pessimistic forecast for order positions compared to last year, with significant drops in culture, sports, recreation, manufacturing, and car trade and repair.
- 💼 The accommodation and food service sector remains the most optimistic in terms of order positions.
- 💸 17 percent of entrepreneurs predict more investments compared to 2022, while 16 percent anticipate a decrease and 67 percent expect stable investments.
- 💸 Investment optimism is at a low level, with the largest drop in predictions observed in the accommodation and food services sector.
- 💸 Entrepreneurs in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and construction are most pessimistic about investments this year, while the culture, sports, and recreation sector is the most optimistic.
American small businesses are expressing a lack of confidence in elected leaders and attributing their hardships to government regulation, high taxes, and inflation, according to a survey conducted by PublicSq. and RedBalloon. However, businesses remain optimistic about expanding and hiring in the future.
