The Economy Explained for February 2026: Small-Businesses Finding their Footing

If the small-business economy had a theme in 2025, it was resilience in the face of mixed signals. The nation’s economy is growing strongly today, following a stumble last year. Hiring has stayed positive overall, despite growing at a slower pace than in recent years. Consumers kept opening their wallets even as they told pollsters they were worried. And the Federal Reserve finally began to deliver the interest rate relief that many small business owners had been hoping for.In this episode, we walk through our latest edition of the "The Economy Explained" for February 2026. Full article here: https://gusto.com/resources/gusto-insights/the-economy-explained-feb-2026?pagePath=resources&pagePath=gusto-insights&pagePath=the-economy-explained-feb-2026