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

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May 15, 2015, 11:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Mexico increased 0.1 percent in March to 101.3 (2010 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decline in February, and a 1.4 percent decline in January.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Mexico, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.3 percent in March to 115.3 (2010 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in February, and a 0.3 percent increase in January.

The LEI for Mexico increased slightly in March after declining over the past three consecutive months. Its six-month change remains in negative territory, but the rate of decline is not as steep as earlier in the year. Meanwhile, the CEI continued its upward trend through March. Despite the small improvement in the six-month change in the LEI and the steady growth in the CEI, it is too early to conclude that the rate of Mexico's economic expansion will accelerate in the coming months.

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

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 six components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® for Mexico include:

Industrial Production, Construction Component
Stock Prices
U.S. Refiners' Acquisition Cost of Domestic and Imported Crude Oil
Net Insufficient Inventories
Federal Funds Rate
Real Exchange Rate

For more information including full press release and technical notes:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=8

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
			2015				6-month
	Jan		Feb		Mar		Sep to Mar

Leading index	101.3	r	101.2		101.3	p
Percent Change	-1.4		-0.1	r	0.1	p	-4.5	p
Diffusion	25.0		41.7		41.7		41.7

Coincident Index	114.7		115.0	r	115.3	p
Percent Change	0.3		0.3	r	0.3	p	1.5	p
Diffusion	66.7		83.3		83.3		100.0

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