Notwithstanding ongoing concerns about an economic slowdown brought on by elevated interest rates, business confidence in Alberta improved for the third month in a row in April.

Based on a survey of its members, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) produces an index of small business confidence called the Business Barometer®. The barometer’s long-term index* is based on how businesses expect to be performing in 12 months.

The long-term index in Alberta went from 51.3 in January to 55.1 in March. The index got as low as 26.2 in March 2020 and hasn’t been in the 60s since last summer.

It was a similar trend nationally, where the index went from 51.2 to 55.7 over the same period.

The index in April was lowest in Quebec at 46.6 and highest in Manitoba at 65.4.

Based on a 3-month outlook, the CFIB’s short-term optimism index for Alberta also improved, rising from 48.9 in March to 51.2 in April.

Nationally, the short-term index ticked up from 52.2 to 53.9.

*Measured on a scale between 0 and 100, an index above 50 means owners expecting their business’s performance to be stronger in the next year outnumber those expecting weaker performance. An index level near 65 normally indicates that the economy is growing at its potential. Data reflect responses received from April 5 to the 13.

Answer to the previous trivia question: The Freeport LNG export terminal in Texas was originally intended to be an import facility. According to its website: “The shale gas revolution in the late 2000s marked a turning point in the U.S. oil and gas industry. For Freeport LNG, it meant taking our business in a new direction: transforming an import terminal into a natural gas liquefaction and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility.”

Today’s trivia question: Which iconic skyscraper officially opened on May 1, 1931? (Hint: a giant ape scales it in a famous movie.)