U.S. Conference Board LEI Unchanged in August; Index Points to Slow But Still Expanding Economy

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. was unchanged in August, remaining at 112.1 (2016 = 100), following a 0.4% increase in July, and no change in June.

"The US LEI remained unchanged in August, following a large increase in July. Housing permits and the Leading Credit Index offset the weakness in the index from the manufacturing sector and the interest rate spread," said Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board. "The recent trends in the LEI are consistent with a slow but still expanding economy, which has been primarily driven by strong consumer spending and robust job growth."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in August to 106.4 (2016 = 100), following no change in July, and a 0.3% increase in June.

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index (LAG) for the U.S. declined 0.3 percent in August to 108.2 (2016 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in July, and a 0.5% increase in June.

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.