Confidence among U.S. small companies rose in September from a 13-month low, reflecting less pessimism about the outlook for sales and the economy, a private survey found.

The National Federation of Independent Business’s index climbed to 88.9, the first gain in seven months, from August’s 88.1, which was the weakest since July 2010, the Washington- based group said today in a statement.See the full story at www.bloomberg.com.