The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the Euro Area Increased in April

BRUSSELS, May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.4 percent in April to 109.0 (2004 = 100), following a 0.5 percent decrease in March and a 0.7 percent increase in February.

Said Jean-Claude Manini, The Conference Board Senior Economist for Europe: "April's increase in the LEI, following the previous month's decline, signals increased volatility and a cooling down in the pace of growth in the near term rather than a downturn in economic activity. The continuing European debt crisis and recurring uncertainty about its resolution are reminders of the fragility of the economic outlook for the Euro Area, particularly in the second half of the year."

Meanwhile, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for the Euro Area, which measures current economic activity, increased slightly in April. The index stands at 103.0 (2004 = 100) according to preliminary estimates*. The CEI decreased 0.2 percent in March, following a 0.1 percent increase in February.  

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the Euro Area  

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® for the Euro Area was launched in January 2009. Plotted back to 1987, this index has successfully signaled turning points in the business cycle of the bloc of countries that now constitute the Euro Area, defined by the common currency zone.

The Conference Board currently produces leading economic indexes for ten other individual countries, including Australia, China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

The eight components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® for the Euro Area include:

Economic Sentiment Index (source: European Commission DG-ECFIN)

Index of Residential Building Permits Granted (source: Eurostat)

Index of Capital Goods New Orders (source: Eurostat)

EURO STOXX® Index (source: STOXX Limited)

Money Supply (M2) (source: European Central Bank)

Interest Rate Spread (source: ECB)

Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (source: Markit Economics)

Eurozone Service Sector Future Business Activity Expectations Index (source: Markit Economics)  

To view The Conference Board calendar of 2011 indicator releases:

http://www.conference-board.org/data/

* Series in The Conference Board LEI for the Euro Area that are based on The Conference Board estimates are real money supply, residential building permits, and new orders of capital goods. All series in The Conference Board CEI for the Euro Area are based on The Conference Board estimates (employment, industrial production, retail trade, and manufacturing turnover).

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is a global, 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.

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