The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Australia Increases

NEW YORK, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Australia increased 0.4 percent in March to 122.5 (2004 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in February, and a 0.1 percent increase in January.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Australia, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.1 percent in March to 117.7 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decline in February, and no change in January.

The Conference Board LEI for Australia continued its upward trend through March, and its six-month change has picked up slightly in recent months. At the same time, the essentially flat trend in The Conference Board CEI for Australia continued, and its six-month growth rate turned slightly negative in March for the first time since late 2009. Taken together, the current behavior of the composite indexes suggests that economic activity will likely be moderate in the near term.

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

The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The leading and coincident economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading or coincident 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.

The seven components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® for Australia include:

For more information including full press release and technical notes:  http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=7

For more information about The Conference Board global business cycle indicators:  http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is an 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. www.conference-board.org.

SOURCE The Conference Board

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED