Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

A new survey shows optimism among small businesses in Chicago for the upcoming year. The University of Illinois-Chicago conducted the survey, called the 2024 Small Business Outlook. It shows the majority of companies anticipate positive performance over the next year. 67% of businesses surveyed expect growth during the 12 month period. 26% say they expect to sustain current operations. And 7% expect some contraction. Some of the small business owners have concerns about recruiting talent and potential tax increases. The survey results are based on responses from small businesses across various industries.

Also, Chicago-area consumers slowed their pace of spending in the first six months of this year. Listen for more below: