Sept. 29, 2021—U.S. small-business owners are the most optimistic they’ve been about prospects for their own businesses since before the start of the pandemic, Bloomberg reported. 

The report, based on the results of a PNC Financial Services Group Inc. survey, found 56 percent of business owners are upbeat about their company’s trajectory, the highest level since 2018 and the second-highest dating back to 2006, the first time PNC conducted the survey. 

The level of pessimism dipped to an all-time low of two percent. More than a third of respondents were positive about the outlook of the national economy.