Nashoba Valley Voice News Services
BOSTON — Business confidence in the state weakened for the fifth time in seven months during February, according to a monthly survey run by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts.
The AIM Business Confidence Index registered a reading of 55.1 last month, down 0.7 months from January and a 4.7-point drop from the year-ago reading of 59.8.
“We’re seeing some ambivalence among employers as they look at the economy, especially the turmoil in some overseas markets, but all within the range of general optimism about 2016,” Raymond G. Torto, chairman of AIM’s Board of Economic Advisors, said in a statement.
The AIM Index, based on a survey of Massachusetts employers, is calculated on a 100-point scale, with 50 as neutral; a reading above 50 is positive, while below 50 is negative.
The index has remained above 50 since October 2013.
