Published October 14, 2014 7:30am EDT | Updated January 8, 2015 2:36pm EST

Capital-plan, Job-opening Reductions Drag NFIB Small-business Index Lower

Dragged lower by big drops in plans to make capital outlays and in current job openings, an index of small-business optimism fell in September. The National Federation of Independent Business said Tuesday its small-business optimism index fell 0.8 points to 95.3, which is 5 points below the pre-recession average. Six components fell and four rose.