When it comes to suggesting remedies for the US economy, looks like small and large businesses aren't on the same planet.

 According to a study of 1,224 executives by a researcher at Pepperdine University, 17 percent of whom are business owners, 27.5 percent of company heads with less than $5 million in revenues said the number one impediment to US GDP growth in the next 12 months is limited access to capital. Only 13.3 percent of heads of firms with more than $1 billion in revenues felt the same way.

Are consumers about to go on a shopping spree or do they prefer to squirrel away their money until the economy improves?

This is a critical question, since consumers account for about 70 percent of the overall economy.