The National Federation of Independent Business’s Small Business Optimism Index fell 1.4 points in February to 95.7, marking the second consecutive month the index has been below its 48-year average. Heightened concerns about inflation have become the No. 1 problem for business owners, Wells Fargo Economics noted in a newsletter. “While the overall level of the NFIB Index remains at a reasonably high level, Small Business Optimism has been losing momentum for quite some time,” the economists wrote. “This is particularly disconcerting because small business owners have become more concerned about the economic outlook as the economy has reopened.” The proportion of businesses reporting they are raising average selling prices jumped 7 points to 68%, which is the largest share in the history of the NFIB series. While business owners have been able to pass along much of their higher costs, a growing share are becoming concerned that their ability to continue to do so will be limited by slower economic growth later this year.