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

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May 19, 2014, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Australia was unchanged in March, remaining at 128.5 (2004 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in February, and a 0.2 percent increase in January.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Australia, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.2 percent in March to 124.6 (2004 = 100), following a 0.4 percent increase in February, and a 0.3 percent increase in January.

The Conference Board LEI for Australia was flat in March, but its six-month growth rate has remained fairly steady since the beginning of this year. At the same time, The Conference Board CEI for Australia increased again, and its six-month growth rate continues to improve. Taken together, the current behavior of the composite indexes suggests that the current rate of economic expansion will continue in the coming months.

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:

Yield Spread, 10 year minus Policy Rate
Share Prices, All Ordinaries
Money Supply, M3
Rural Goods Exports
Sales to Inventory Ratio
Gross Operating Surplus, Private Non-Financial Corporations
Building Approvals

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.

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Summary Table of Composite Economic Indexes
	2014						6-month
	Jan		Feb		Mar		Sep to Mar

Leading Economic Index	128.2	p	128.5	p	128.5	p
Percent Change	0.2	p	0.2	p	0.0	p	2.1
Diffusion	71.4		71.4		78.6		100.0

Coincident Economic Index	123.8	p	124.3	p	124.6	p
Percent Change	0.3	p	0.4	p	0.2	p	1.4
Diffusion	100.0		100.0		100.0		100.0

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