São Paulo, January 13, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Small merchants in the São Paulo metropolitan region are optimistic about the possibility of a reactivation of the economy, and they count on the success of measures announced by the federal government for sustained growth.

This is what is revealed by the State of São Paulo Federation of Commerce's (Fecomércio-SP) quarterly survey, based on around 800 entrepreneurs from the sector. According to the findings, 39.4% of the entrepreneurs believe that the economy will be better in 2004 than in 2003, and 46.4% of them hope to achieve a more favorable performance over the course of the year. (DAS)