Small-business owners' optimism remains fixed at zero, which is neither optimistic nor pessimistic, as confidence regarding today's financial climate couldn't counterbalance worse expectations for future revenues and capital spending allocation, according to Wells Fargo & Co.'s third-quarter results from its Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index.

"Business owners are demonstrating a reluctance to invest in their businesses and are holding onto cash," says Doug Case, Wells Fargo small business segment manager. "In recent months, we've seen strong growth in deposit balances as business owners prepare for potential business challenges and save for future opportunities."

The third-quarter results indicates some improvements in sentiment concerning small-business owners' financial situation, cash flows, hiring and credit availability over the last 12 months, leading to negative 10, a four-point improvement in the survey's "present situation" from negative 14. This survey metric has been a negative figure since the first quarter of 2009.