The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® for India Remained Unchanged in June

News provided by

Jul 20, 2015, 12:30 ET

MUMBAI, India, July 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® (LEI) for India was unchanged in June at 101.9 (2010 = 100), following a 1.3 percent decline in May and a 1.4 percent increase in April. Industrial production: capital goods, cargo handled, the real effective exchange rate (36 countries), merchandise exports, and the interest rate spread contributed positively to the index in June. However, the PMI: services business activity index and the SENSEX stock prices index contributed negatively, offsetting the positive gains.

"The flatness in the Leading Economic Index in June and the volatility of recent months suggest India's short-term economic growth environment will remain challenging," said Jing Sima, Senior Economist at The Conference Board. "The service sector and equity market indicators continue contracting despite low energy prices and stimulative policies. In addition, the pickup in consumer prices and depreciation in currency, if sustained, will limit room for India's central bank to take on further monetary easing measures."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^® (CEI) for India, which measures current economic activity, increased 1.0 percent in June to 109.6 (2010 = 100), following a 0.9 percent decline in May and a 3.5 percent increase in April. Two of the three components contributed positively to the index in June.

The Conference Board LEI for India aggregates eight economic indicators that measure economic activity in India. Each of the LEI components has proven accurate on its own. Aggregating individual indicators into a composite index filters out so-called "noise" to show underlying trends more clearly.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for India

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® for India was launched in September 2013. Plotted back to April 1990, this index has successfully signaled turning points in the economic cycles of India. The Conference Board also produces LEIs for Australia, Brazil, China, the Euro Area, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The eight components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® (LEI) for India include:

Interest Rate Spread (10-Year Government Bond minus 91-Day Treasury Bill) (RBI)
Stock Prices: SENSEX Average (Bombay Stock Exchange Limited)
Real effective exchange rate index, 36 countries (RBI)
Real Money Supply: M3 Bank Credit to Commercial Sector (RBI)
Merchandise Exports, f.o.b. (Ministry of Commerce and Industry)
Cargo Handled: Domestic and International (Airport Authority of India)
IP: Capital Goods (Central Statistical Organization)
PMI: Services Business Activity (HSBC/Markit)

For more information including full press release and technical notes:
https://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=13

To view The Conference Board calendar of 2015 indicator releases:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/

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. For additional information about The Conference Board and how it can meet your needs, visit our website at www.conference-board.org.


Summary Table of Composite Economic Indexes

			2015				6-month
	Apr		May		Jun		Dec to Jun

Leading Economic Index	103.2	r	101.9	r	101.9	p
Percent Change	1.4	r	-1.3		0.0	p	-1.0
Diffusion	50.0		25.0		56.3		50.0

Coincident Economic Index	109.5	r	108.5	r	109.6	p
Percent Change	3.5	r	-0.9		1.0	p	0.6
Diffusion	66.7		33.3		66.7		33.3

n.a. Not available p Preliminary r Revised
Indexes equal 100 in 2010
Source: The Conference Board All Rights Reserved