Mass. Business Confidence Remains Near All-Time Low

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index edged up to 41.8 in November from its all-time low of 41.4 the previous month.

The index is based on a 100-point scale. A score of 50 is considered neutral. The index has been below 50 since April and is 11.8 points below its Nov. 2007 reading.

Although businesses were "slightly less negative" about business conditions in the state in November than they were in October, they were "even more concerned about the prospects for their own operations," AIM said. Small business owners and manufacturers were "especially pessimistic," AIM said.

AIM noted that its survey was completed before President Elect Barack Obama named his economic team, "which has generally been well received by the business community at large."