Small Business Collapse and Macroeconomic Vulnerability: A Pre-Fed Cut Warning

The U.S. labor market has entered a period of pronounced sectoral divergence, with small businesses at the epicenter of a growing macroeconomic vulnerability. While industries like healthcare and government employment continue to add jobs despite tighter monetary policy, sectors such as manufacturing, construction, and small business-driven retail face significant headwinds. This divergence has forced the Federal Reserve into a delicate balancing act: addressing inflationary pressures while mitigating the risks of a small business-led economic slowdown. Recent data and policy shifts suggest the Fed is preparing for a series of rate cuts in 2026, but the implications for high-risk asset allocation and macroeconomic stability remain complex.

Sectoral Divergence and Small Business Resilience

From 2023 to mid-2024, small businesses accounted for over half of net job creation in the U.S., outpacing large firms even during economic slowdowns. However, this trend has reversed sharply in 2025. Benchmark revisions to nonfarm payroll data revealed a staggering 911,000 fewer jobs added between 2024 and early 2025, with small businesses in professional services, retail trade, and leisure and hospitality sectors bearing the brunt of the decline.

For instance, the National Bank Financial (NBF) reported a 120,000-job drop in small businesses alone during October 2025-the largest single-month decline since the pandemic.

This sectoral divergence underscores a critical asymmetry in the labor market. While non-cyclical sectors like healthcare and government continue to expand, small businesses in cyclical industries are grappling with rising operational costs, customer reach challenges, and wage pressures. The 2024 Small Business Credit Survey further highlights these struggles, noting that 68% of small businesses cited high costs for goods and wages as a major constraint on growth. Such pressures are not merely localized but systemic, as small businesses contribute to 44% of U.S. economic activity.

Fed Policy: A Preemptive Pivot

The Federal Reserve's recent policy decisions reflect growing concern over these vulnerabilities. In September 2025, the Fed delivered a 25-basis-point rate cut, marking its first reduction since 2023. This "risk management cut," as described by the Conference Board, was driven by a shift in the Fed's assessment of labor market risks, including a 4.4% unemployment rate and slowing job gains in half of its 12 districts. The October 2025 FOMC meeting followed suit with another 25-basis-point cut, bringing the federal funds rate to 3.75%-4.00%.

The Fed's pivot is not without internal debate. Two of the 12 FOMC voters dissented at the October meeting-one advocating for a larger cut and another opposing it entirely-highlighting divisions over how to balance inflation control with employment support. The central bank's data-dependent approach now hinges on monitoring the trajectory of the unemployment rate and small business employment trends, with further cuts likely if labor market weakness persists.

High-Risk Asset Allocation: Opportunities and Risks

The Fed's accommodative stance has already influenced high-risk asset allocation strategies. U.S. small-cap equities have outperformed large-cap stocks in 2025, reflecting investor appetite for growth in sectors poised to benefit from lower interest rates. Comerica's Q4 2025 Investment Outlook emphasizes a "broadening market" favoring small-cap equities and international markets, as lower borrowing costs ease financial pressures on small businesses.

However, the risks of overexposure to high-risk assets remain significant. The recent labor market revisions have revealed a weaker economic backdrop than previously estimated, with average hourly earnings rising only 3.8% year-over-year in September 2025. This subdued wage growth, coupled with a shrinking labor force participation rate, suggests that the Fed's rate cuts may not yet translate into robust inflationary pressures. Yet, if the labor market stabilizes or stagflationary conditions emerge-where high inflation coexists with weak employment-investors could face a reversal in monetary easing, adding volatility to risk-on assets.

Conclusion: A Delicate Balancing Act

The interplay between sectoral labor market divergence and Fed policy is shaping a precarious macroeconomic landscape. Small businesses, once a pillar of employment growth, now face a perfect storm of operational costs, customer demand shifts, and policy uncertainty. While the Fed's rate cuts aim to mitigate these risks, their effectiveness will depend on the pace of labor market deterioration and the resilience of non-cyclical sectors. For investors, the path forward requires a nuanced approach: capitalizing on small-cap equity opportunities while hedging against potential volatility from policy reversals or stagflationary shocks.

As the Fed prepares for its December 2025 decision, the coming months will test its ability to navigate this complex terrain. The question is no longer whether rate cuts will come, but how swiftly and decisively they will be implemented to avert a broader economic slowdown.