Small businesses in the US finally appear to be taking part in the overall economic recovery. The NFIB's Small Business Optimism Index hit a 7-year high, climbing to 98.1 in November. That's a decent clip above the projected number of 96.5. It's also slightly higher than the 98 average between 1974 and 2014. Optimism among small business owners comes at a time when small businesses are providing the single largest source of hiring in the country. Small business provided over 100,000 private jobs during the last month. While the US economy may still have some bumps in the road ahead as we approach 2015, it's very encouraging to see small business owners express confidence. (VIEW LINK)