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

NEW YORK, Nov. 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Japan declined 0.8 percent in September to 103.3 (2010 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in August, and a 0.3 percent decline in July.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Japan, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.5 percent in September to 98.6 (2010 = 100), following a 0.2 percent decline in August, and a 0.1 percent increase in July.

The Conference Board LEI for Japan decreased in September. Even though the LEI's six-month growth rate remained slightly positive, the rate of improvement has slowed compared to six months ago. At the same time, the CEI rose in September, and its six-month change has increased slightly. The recent decline in the LEI, along with its moderating growth, suggests that economic activity may improve in the near-term, but downside risks still remain.

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.

SOURCE The Conference Board

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