Conference Board LEI for the U.S. Increased

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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.2 percent in March to 123.4 (2010 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decline in February, and a 0.2 percent decline in January.

“With the March gain, the U.S. LEI’s six-month growth rate improved slightly but still points to slow, although not slowing, growth in the coming quarters,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. “Rebounding stock prices were offset by a decline in housing permits, but nonetheless there were widespread gains among the leading indicators. Financial conditions, as well as expected improvements in manufacturing, should support a modest growth environment in 2016.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for the U.S. was unchanged in March, remaining at 113.3 (2010 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in February, and a 0.3 percent increase in January.

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index® (LAG) for the U.S. increased 0.4 percent in March to 120.9 (2010 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in February, and a 0.1 percent increase in January.

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.