AUSTIN (Jan. 14, 2019) — Small business optimism ended the year historically strong, with a reading of 102.7, down 2 points from November. Nationwide, seven of 10 components fell, two improved, and one was unchanged. An increased number of small business owners reported better business conditions and expect higher nominal sales in the next three months. While the frequency of plans to raise compensation fell 2 points, it remains one of the highest readings in the survey’s 46-year history. Small businesses continued to hire and create new jobs with actual job creation matching November’s reading, the highest since May. State-specific data isn’t available,