Business survey shows leaders more confident

Confidence in the US economy among business leaders continues to improve, according to a survey by the Conference Board, a business-oriented research group.

The survey said its measure of business confidence advanced to 55 in the third quarter of this year on a scale from zero to 110. In the second quarter the figure was 52; in the first quarter it was 47. The board said the assessment of current economic conditions strengthened in the third quarter for every industry except transportation equipment and petroleum.