Small-business sentiment edges up from lows: NFIB

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
A measure of small-business sentiment in December edged up but still was the second-worst reading since March 2010, the National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday
The NFIB small-business optimism index rose 0.5 point to 88.0, to a level the group says is in recession territory
November's reading was the worst since March 2010
Gains in earnings trends and expectations that real sales will be higher helped to offset a 4-point drop in plans to increase employment
"The January survey results will be far more enlightening about how the sector views the [fiscal cliff]-higher taxes and minimal spending cuts may not be a panacea," said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg in a statemen
The report is based on the responses of 648 randomly sampled small businesses in NFIB's membership.