Conference Board LEI for the U.S. Increased in July

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.6% in July to 110.7 (2016 = 100), following a 0.5% increase in June, and a 0.1% increase in May.

“The U.S. LEI increased in July, suggesting the US economy will continue expanding at a solid pace for the remainder of this year,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, director of business cycles and growth research at The Conference Board. “The strengths among the components of the leading index were very widespread, with unemployment claims, the financial components, and the ISM New Orders Index making the largest positive contributions.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.2% in July to 104.2 (2016 = 100), following a 0.3% increase in June, and a 0.1% increase in May. 

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index (LAG) for the U.S. declined 0.2% in July to 105.2 (2016 = 100), following a 0.2% increase in June and a 0.5% 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.