THE ECONOMY

Business Leaders Wax Optimistic: Many business leaders are more optimistic about their own companies than the economy in general, according to a new survey. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said its overall business confidence index registered 62.4 in February, unchanged from December. It was the highest level since the index stood at 64.2 in June. A reading of 50 or more indicates the prospect of an expanding economy, while an index of 70 or more portends strong growth. One component of the index, measuring respondents’ outlooks for their own sales and employment prospects, rose in the latest survey, with 23.4% expecting to hire people and 11.2% expecting to lay off workers. Another index measuring sales expectations moved up to 67.2 from 64 two months earlier.