The Conference Board LEI for the U.S. Increased in January

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for theU.S. increased 0.6 percent in January to 125.5 (2010 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in December, and a 0.2 percent increase in November.

“The U.S. Leading Economic Index increased sharply again in January, pointing to a positive economic outlook in the first half of this year,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “The January gain was broad based among the leading indicators. If this trend continues, the U.S. economy may even accelerate in the near term.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.1 percent in January to 114.4 (2010 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in December, and no change in November.

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index (LAG) for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in January to 123.7 (2010 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in December, and a 0.2 percent increase in November.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S.

The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The leading, coincident, and lagging economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading, coincident, or lagging indicators. They are constructed to summarize and reveal common turning point patterns in economic data in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component – primarily because they smooth out some of the volatility of individual components.