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

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.2% in February to 111.5 (2016 = 100), following no change in January, and a 0.1% decline in December.

 “The US LEI increased in February for the first time in five months,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, director of Economic Research at The Conference Board. “February’s improvement was driven by accommodative financial conditions and a rebound in stock prices, which more than offset weaknesses in the labor market components. Despite the latest results, the US LEI’s growth rate has slowed over the past six months, suggesting that while the economy will continue to expand in the near-term, its pace of growth could decelerate by year end.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.2% in February to 105.9 (2016 = 100), following a 0.1% increase in January, and a 0.4% increase in December. 

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index (LAG) for the U.S. was unchanged in February at 107.0 (2016 = 100), following a 0.6% increase in January and a 0.4% increase in December.

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.