The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the Euro Area Increased in July

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Aug 26, 2013, 04:00 ET

BRUSSELS, Aug. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for the Euro Area increased 1.0 percent in July and now stands at 108.4 (2004=100), after increasing 0.4 percent in both June and May.

"The third consecutive increase in the Euro Area Leading Economic Index signals an improving economic outlook, now that the economy appears to be moving out of recession," says Bert Colijn, Economist for Europe at The Conference Board. "Increasing businesses and consumer confidence continue to boost prospects for continued growth, along with rising stock prices. However, high credit constraints, record-high unemployment, and slowing growth in emerging markets are dampening the ability of the European economy to recover swiftly."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^®(CEI) for the Euro Area, which measures current economic activity, decreased 0.1 percent in July, according to preliminary estimates. The index now stands at 100.7 (2004 = 100)*. The CEI declined 0.1 percent in June and was unchanged in May.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for the Euro Area
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® for the Euro Area was launched in January 2009. Plotted back to 1987, this index has successfully signaled turning points in the business cycle of the bloc of countries that now constitute the Euro Area, defined by the common currency zone.

The Conference Board currently produces leading economic indexes for ten other individual countries, including Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

The seven components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® for the Euro Area include:

Economic Sentiment Index (source: European Commission DG-ECFIN)
Index of Residential Building Permits Granted (source: Eurostat)
EURO STOXX^® Index (source: STOXX Limited)
Money Supply (M2) (source: European Central Bank)
Interest Rate Spread (source: European Central Bank)
Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (source: Markit Economics)
Eurozone Service Sector Future Business Activity Expectations Index (source: Markit Economics)

To view The Conference Board calendar for 2013 indicator releases:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/

* Series in The Conference Board LEI for the Euro Area that are based on The Conference Board estimates are real money supply and residential building permits. All series in The Conference Board CEI for the Euro Area are based on The Conference Board estimates (employment, industrial production, retail trade, and manufacturing turnover).

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States.

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Summary Table of Composite Indexes
	2013			6-month
	May	Jun	Jul	Dec to Jul
Leading Economic Index (LEI)	106.9p	107.3p	108.4p
Percent Change	0.4p	0.4p	1.0p	1.7p
Diffusion	71.4	71.4	85.7	100.0

Coincident Economic Index (CEI)	100.9p	100.8p	100.7p
Percent Change	0.0p	-0.1p	-0.1p	-0.4p
Diffusion	25.0	50.0	50.0	75.0

n.a. Not available p Preliminary r Revised
Indexes equal 100 in 2004
Source: The Conference Board All Rights Reserved