Looking for reassurance that the US economy is on track for a solid recovery? Some use the resurgence of large firms, like Google and Amazon, for evidence of a way back from the great recession of recent years.

Main Street USA has been slower to reflect recovery, perhaps surprisingly it’s been more difficult to spot the green shoots at the grass roots, until now.

The monthly Small Business Optimism report suggests that sales and capital expenditure by small firms in the US are both rising.

Saxo bank’s Head of Macro Strategy says: ”Two important factors: sales are not perceived as big a problem as earlier in the year, and generally there’s been an upward trend for capital expenditure.”  

Put that optimism together with a rise in the latest ISM index then you get both charts indicating higher business sentiment in the USA.