The Conference Board LEI for the U.S. Increased

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.4 percent in November to 124.6 (2010 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in October, and no change in September.

“The U.S. LEI registered another increase in November, with building permits, the interest rate spread, and stock prices driving the improvement,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “Although the six-month growth rate of the LEI has moderated, the economic outlook for the final quarter of the year and into the new year remains positive.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.1 percent in November to 113.3 (2010 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in October, and a 0.3 percent increase in September.

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index (LAG) for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in November to 119.6 (2010 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in October, and a 0.5 percent increase in September. 

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.