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November 2025 Small Business Index Rises Sharply

by Gary Stockton 2 min read January 6, 2026

The Experian Small Business Index™ improved by 15.9 points month-over-month and 9.1 points Year-Over-Year

Experian Small Business Index

Nov 2025

  • Index Value (Nov):52.0
  • Previous Month:36.1
  • MoM:15.9
  • YoY:9.1 (Nov 2024 = 42.9)

The Experian Small Business Index™ increased substantially in November by 15.9 points to 52.0. This also represents a YoY increase of 9.1 points. There was increased business activity with the end of the government shutdown in November. Business owners saw an increase in new account openings and approval rates, along with an increased number of new business formations.

Negative credit conditions improved, with reductions in delinquencies and utilization. The Small Business Optimism Index from NFIB increased to 99.0 from 98.2 in October. There was an increase in the number of new business applications to 535K from 499K in October, the most in a single month since July 2020. Inflation fell in November, to 2.7% from 3.0% in September, the lowest level since July. November unemployment was up to 4.6% from 4.4% in September. The inflation and unemployment rates are likely to influence Federal Reserve policy decisions as they consider whether additional rate cuts are warranted in 2026 after a 25 bps drop in December.

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