NFIB Optimism Index Drops to 98.7 as Small Business Confidence Slips
Optimism (OP)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
cryptobriefing.com reports that the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index fell to 98.7 in August, missing the consensus forecast of 99.3. This reading slid from July’s 99.8, reversing the momentum that had seen the index hit a 12-month high. The decline was roughly twice as steep as economists had predicted, signaling renewed caution among US small business owners.
The index aggregates ten components covering hiring expectations, capital spending, sales forecasts, and the general economic outlook. Although the long-term average sits around 98.0, the August figure remains technically above that baseline. The drop suggests that the enthusiasm driven by improved hiring plans in July has cooled.
NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg has historically used the monthly release to contextualize ground-level experiences for business owners. The report notes that a headline decline can mask divergent trends, where some areas like hiring might hold steady while sales expectations deteriorate. Sustained dips below the 98.0 threshold tend to precede or accompany economic slowdowns. The September reading will determine if August was a blip or the start of a trend.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for OP, measured when this story was written up on 8 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
OP is trading at $0.1104 with a 1-hour buy ratio of 39.5%, indicating immediate selling pressure. This short-term weakness contrasts with the 4-hour buy ratio of 51.3%, which suggests buying pressure is building over a slightly longer timeframe. The 24-hour buy ratio sits at 46.6%, showing that net selling has dominated the full day. A negative Volume Delta of -$41,626 in the last hour confirms that sellers are actively pushing the price down. Over 24 hours, the Volume Delta is -$515,012, with a Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) of -$461,568, meaning more volume was sold than bought. Net buying occurred in only 11 of the last 24 hours, highlighting a day where sellers held the upper hand.
The latest daily buy ratio of 46.4% sits at the 5th percentile of the last 324 days, against a median of 50.1% - among the weakest buying days it has had.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for OP, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, OP saw a 7-day average buy ratio of 50.3%, making today’s 24-hour ratio of 46.6% an unusual day for the coin. The latest day’s buy ratio is 3.7 points lower than the weekly average, indicating a shift toward net selling. Spot volume was 0.90x the average, showing slightly reduced activity compared to the norm. While the price rose 17.9% over eight days, the total Volume Delta for that period was -$66,080. This context suggests that despite recent gains, the current flow represents a deviation from the weekly buying trend.