LINCOLN — After rising for two straight months, a survey of rural bankers in Nebraska and nine other regional states shows the region remains stifled by low agriculture and energy commodity prices.
The Rural Mainstreet Index dropped to 38.2 in April. That’s down from 40.2 in March.
A score above 50 shows economic growth, while below suggests decline.
The survey is run by economists at Creighton University. who say prices from farm and energy products have both dropped in the last year.
Despite all of this, the confidence index rose more than four points from March.
