The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Japan Declined

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Sep 14, 2015, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Japan declined 0.1 percent in July to 104.2 (2010 = 100), following a 0.8 percent increase in June, and a 0.1 percent increase in May.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Japan, a measure of current economic activity, declined 0.1 percent in July to 98.4 (2010 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in June, and a 0.1 percent decline in May.

The Conference Board LEI for Japan decreased in July. Its six-month growth rate remains in positive territory, but has slowed considerably compared to the last half of 2014. The CEI also declined, and as a result its six-month growth rate has turned slightly negative. Despite slight declines in both indexes in July, the positive six-month growth and widespread strength in the LEI suggests that the current economic contraction is unlikely to persist through the end of 2015.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for Japan
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 ten components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® for Japan include:

Operating Profits
Dwelling Units Started
Business Failures
Index of Overtime Worked
Stock Prices (TOPIX)
Six-Month Growth Rate of Labor Productivity
Tankan Business Conditions Survey
Money Supply
Yield Spread
New Orders for Machinery and Construction

For more information including full press release and technical notes:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=5

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 Economic Indexes
	2015						6-month
	May		Jun		Jul		Jan to Jul

Leading Economic Index (LEI)	103.5	r	104.3	p	104.2	p
Percent Change	0.1	r	0.8	p	-0.1	p	0.9	p
Diffusion	50.0		90.0		70.0		90.0

Coincident Economic Index (CEI)	97.9	r	98.5	p	98.4	p
Percent Change	-0.1	r	0.6	p	-0.1	p	-0.2	p
Diffusion	25.0		100.0		50.0		50.0

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