Recent data shows the local business community continues to be pessimistic, with business confidence down for three consecutive quarters – the third longest period in 20 years.

The Leeds Business Confidence Index found that only one of the six components that go into determining confidence was positive. That area – industry sales – saw the largest quarter-over-quarter jump.

The index is produced on a quarterly basis by the Leeds School of Business at Colorado University at Boulder.

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The least optimism was registered in the national economy category. Respondents collectively marked it at 37.1 on a 100 point scale on which 50 is considered neutral. This is a slight an improvement from the first quarter, which stood at 34.4.

Rich Wobbekind, senior economist and faculty director of the Business Research Division, said that panelists do not expect inflation to improve through the year.

“Our forecast shows inflation in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is projected to increase 4.3% this year, a slight improvement from the 4.5% increase projected last quarter,” Wobbekind said in the press release.

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