The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. Increased in July

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.3% in July to 128.3 (2010 = 100), following a 0.6% increase in June, and a 0.3% increase in May.

“The U.S. LEI improved in July, suggesting the U.S. economy may experience further improvements in economic activity in the second half of the year,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “The large negative contribution from housing permits, a reversal from June, was more than offset by gains in the financial indicators, new orders and sentiment.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.3% in July to 115.7 (2010 = 100), following a 0.1% increase in June, and a 0.3% increase in May.  

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index (LAG) for the U.S. increased 0.1% in July to 124.8 (2010 = 100), following a 0.2% increase in June and a 0.2% increase in May.

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.