US: NFIB Business Optimism Index declines to 95.9 in December vs. 102.8 expected

• US NFIB Business Optimism Index worsened sharply in December.
• US stocks future indexes cling to modest gains on Tuesday.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reported on Tuesday that the Business Optimism Index in the US declined to 95.9 in December from 101.4 in November. This reading missed the market expectation of 102.8 by a wide margin.

Market reaction

This disappointing report doesn't seem to be having a significant impact on market sentiment. As of writing, the S&P 500 Futures were up 0.2% at 3,800. Meanwhile, the US Dollar Index was virtually unchanged on a daily basis at 90.49.