The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. Declined in September

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. declined 0.2% in September to 128.6 (2010 = 100), following a 0.4% increase in August, and a 0.3% increase in July.

"The U.S. LEI declined slightly in September for the first time in the last twelve months, partly a result of the temporary impact of the recent hurricanes," said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. "The source of weakness was concentrated in labor markets and residential construction, while the majority of the LEI components continued to contribute positively. Despite September's decline, the trend in the U.S. LEI remains consistent with continuing solid growth in the U.S. economy for the second half of the year."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.1% in September to 115.7 (2010 = 100), following no change in August, and a 0.1% increase in July.

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index (LAG) for the U.S. declined 0.1% in September to 125.2 (2010 = 100), following a 0.45 increase in August and a 0.15 increase in July. 

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.