This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Batchel.

The Business of America is Small Business, and I welcome the Small Business columnist

for the Guardian newspaper, UK edition, US edition, as well as our hometown newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer,

and other distinguished publications.

A traveling man, Gene Marks, he's visited Charlotte, he's visited Palm Springs,

speaking to small business councils and distributors. And that is the pulse of the economy,

right there. Jerome Powell wants to know what Gene knows. Gene, a very good evening to you.

The week after the week, it's calming down a little bit.

Now there's the Washington excitement of ministries being filled, but the markets have recovered

and have been gleeful for several days.

The question always comes up, what does small business think? They predicted Trump way back

in 15, 16, and they were not pleased with 20, but that was a pandemic year. And this year,

small business looks to be prospering. Is that accurate, Gene? Good evening to you. Hi, John. Yeah, small businesses so far in 2024. I've been muddling along. I did a piece in the hill a

couple of weeks ago that rounded up how many of them were doing, but they're moving, you know, they're

moving. I mean, I spoke to the pressure sensitive tape council.

These are CEOs of companies that make pressure sensitive materials, films, tapes, plastics,

you know, coated, laminated, hot melt.

These are things that go into solar panels and machines and products that are used even in everyday life, packaging, things like that.

And like all manufacturers, they have been muddling along this year.

I mean, they, when I showed them data from the Institute of Supply Management for manufacturing, which shows that manufacturing has been

really in contraction for the past 12 months. None of them were in disagreement with that.

They've been struggling, again, profitable, but just not, you know, not, you know, a hand over a fist.

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