Nebraska\u27s Economy Continues Strong Performance

Nebraska\u27s economic momentum continued for another quarter by drawing strength from major sectors that include manufacturing, the FIRE group (finance, insurance, and real estate), retail trade, and services. However, some slowdown by the end of the year or early 1999 is likely as scattered weaknesses now being observed ripple through the rest of the economy. The overall impact is expected to be minimal. Forty-six percent of all the businesses that participated in the latest Nebraska Quarterly Business Conditions Survey (NQBCS) indicted an increase in 2nd quarter 1998 revenues over year-ago levels (Table 1). Theeconomicsignificance of this latest report on business revenues is apparent after observing similar reports for previousquarters (Table 2).ln short, the state\u27s business climate has remained virtually constant since the NQBCS was first conducted for 3rd quarter 1996. The state\u27s current economic dimate, best characterized as prosperous, growing, and stable, provides ideal conditions for strategic business planning