• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

2

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

3

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

1

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

2

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

3

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
FinanceDonald Trump

President Trump Claimed Business Enthusiasm Is at its ‘Highest Level in Decades.’ Is It?

Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 5, 2017, 1:44 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Just ahead of Friday’s jobs report, U.S. stock markets surged to yet another set of all-time highs, with the value of all S&P 500 companies standing above $22.6 trillion by early Thursday.

Amid strong economic figures and renewed hope of tax reform from Washington, the three major U.S. stock indicators jumped to new highs. The S&P 500 rose 0.43% to 2,548; the Nasdaq jumped 0.44% to 6,563; and the Dow industrial average rose 0.37% to 22,746.

President Donald Trump didn’t miss the chance to tweet about this sign of continued optimism from investors. “Stock Market hits an ALL-TIME high!,” Trump tweeted. “Unemployment lowest in 16 years. Business and manufacturing enthusiasm at highest level in decades.”

Stock Market hits an ALL-TIME high! Unemployment lowest in 16 years! Business and manufacturing enthusiasm at highest level in decades!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2017

Since Trump was elected in November, business optimism and the stock markets have soared. His promises of lower corporate taxes along with a Republican-controlled Congress leaning toward fewer regulations sparked hopes of higher profits for businesses.

But is business enthusiasm at its highest level in decades, as Trump claimed?

While business leaders are certainly more optimistic about Republicans’ preference for deregulation, most indicators don’t point to the highest level of enthusiasm “in decades.” Instead, numbers are generally at their highest point since the recession of 2008-09.

A Q3 survey from the National Association of Manufacturers found optimism at its highest point since the survey’s inception 20 years ago. Roughly 90% of manufacturers surveyed said they had a positive outlook on their company.

The Purchasing Managers Index, a bellwether for manufacturing optimism tracked by the Institute for Supply Management, rose to 60.8 in September. That’s its highest point since 2004, a 13-year high.

Another measure of business enthusiasm, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index, reached its highest point since 2006 in August: 105.3. That’s down slightly from 105.9 in January—or an 11-year high.

Still, some business owners have turned sour after Congress has repeatedly failed to achieve major legislative goals this year.

“It is unlikely that progress in Washington D.C. is the source of continued owner optimism because there isn’t any on the major issues of health care and tax reform,” The National Federation of Independent Business wrote in its August survey. “So owner optimism is more like a ‘relief rally,’ relief that they did not get another four years of costly federal regulations which increased the hold of government on the private sector.”

When it comes to unemployment, Trump’s figures are somewhat outdated. August’s unemployment rate was 4.4%, slightly up from a 16-year low in July of 4.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure is expected to hold steady at about 4.4% when September figures come in Friday. Still, unemployment in the U.S. is below its historical post-war average of about 5.8%.

Though Trump may be exaggerating his claims, the data points to a generally strong U.S. economy since he’s taken office. But the extent to which Trump’s 10-month-old administration can take credit for an economic recovery that’s been happening since the financial crisis is less than clear. While his deregulatory stance and promises about lower taxes may certainly boost optimism—showing up in outlook surveys and stock market prices— it’s unclear how the White House has played a role in keeping unemployment low or or boosting the country’s GDP.

“It’s premature,” said Stephen Moore, a visiting fellow at the Project for Economic Growth at The Heritage Foundation, said earlier this year regarding an earlier Trump tweet boasting about jobs growth. “It takes a while for policies to translate into jobs. Stock markets react instantaneously to things. For jobs to come back–that takes longer.”

About the Author
Lucinda Shen
By Lucinda Shen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

ibm
Big TechIBM
‘We did not adapt and move quickly enough’: IBM CEO’s admission of weakness fails to prevent historic 25% stock crash
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 15, 2026
7 hours ago
usa
AIearnings
Why IBM just suffered its worst stock crash of all time—and what it says about the market’s two bubbles
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 15, 2026
8 hours ago
mike
Politicsnational debt
GOP’s $95 billion war-and-voting bill adds no offsets to $2 trillion deficit
By Kevin Freking, Lisa Mascaro and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
9 hours ago
warren
North Americaphilanthropy
Warren Buffett on Bill Gates’ ‘distasteful’ friendship with Jeffrey Epstein: ‘No one bats a thousand in the business of choosing people’
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
9 hours ago
It’s now cheaper to buy a new home than a used one, thanks to builder incentives and baby boomers who don’t want to sell on the low
Real Estatehomebuying
It’s now cheaper to buy a new home than a used one, thanks to builder incentives and baby boomers who don’t want to sell on the low
By Catherina GioinoJuly 15, 2026
11 hours ago
nyc
North AmericaEconomics
Mamdani’s $50 World Cup jersey stunt proves some of the oldest criticisms of socialism correct: ‘The odds are extremely stacked against you’
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 15, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
Law
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
By Barbara Ortutay, Alexandra Olson and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
15 hours ago
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
Newsletters
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
By Sydney LakeJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
North America
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
Economy
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
By Eleanor PringleJuly 15, 2026
17 hours ago
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
Innovation
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 15, 2026
16 hours ago
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
C-Suite
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
By Fortune EditorsJuly 15, 2026
13 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.