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

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Aug 16, 2013, 04:00 ET

BRUSSELS, Aug. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for France was unchanged in June, remaining at 115.3 (2004 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in May and a 0.5 percent decline in April.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for France, a measure of current economic activity, declined 0.1 percent in June to 104.0 (2004 = 100), following no change in May, and a 0.2 percent increase in April.

The LEI for France has been on an upward trend since the beginning of 2013, and remains well above its most recent peak in October 2007. As a result, the LEI's six-month growth rate has improved. Meanwhile, the CEI has been flat over the past six months. Taken together, the recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that the recovery in economic activity will likely continue at a modest pace in the near term.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for France
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 France include:

Yield Spread, 10 year minus Day-Day Loan
Stock Price SBF 250 Index
Building Permits, residential
New Unemployment Claims
Industrial New Orders
Production Expectations
Ratio Deflator of Manufacturing Value Added to Unit Labor Cost

For more information including full press release and technical notes:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=3

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.

Summary Table of Composite Indexes
	2013						6-month
	Apr		May		Jun		Dec to Jun

Leading Economic Index (LEI)	114.7	p	115.3	p	115.3	p
Percent Change	-0.5	p	0.5	p	0.0	p	1.6	p
Diffusion	21.4		78.6		64.3		78.6

Coincident Economic Index (CEI)	104.1	p	104.1	p	104.0	p
Percent Change	0.2	p	0.0	p	-0.1	p	0.0	p
Diffusion	87.5		25.0		50.0		25.0

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