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

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Jan 28, 2013, 04:00 ET

BRUSSELS, Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.4 percent in December and now stands at 105.5 (2004=100), after increasing 0.6 percent in November and decreasing 0.2 percent in October.

"The Euro Area LEI increased moderately for a second month in a row, again with widespread gains among its components. This month's LEI increase was driven by improved consumer and business confidence," said Bert Colijn, Economist for Europe at The Conference Board. "The progress policy makers have made in recent months may be translating into a somewhat better economic outlook. However, current economic conditions, as measured by the CEI, remain weak because of falling employment and industrial production. Together with continuing austerity, high unemployment, and weak global demand, there is no prospect for a strong recovery in the Euro Area economy in the coming months."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^®(CEI) for the Euro Area, which measures current economic activity, decreased 0.1 percent in December, according to the preliminary estimation. The index now stands at 101.4 (2004 = 100)*. The CEI was unchanged in November and decreased 0.2 percent in October.

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 seven 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)
EURO STOXX^® Index (source: STOXX Limited)
Money Supply (M2) (source: European Central Bank)
Interest Rate Spread (source: European Central Bank)
Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (source: Markit Economics)
Eurozone Service Sector Future Business Activity Expectations Index (source: Markit Economics)

* Series in The Conference Board LEI for the Euro Area that are based on The Conference Board estimates are real money supply and residential building permits. 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).

To view The Conference Board calendar for 2013 indicator releases:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/

To view the webpage, which includes a pdf of the press release and technical notes:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=10

NOTE:
This month's release incorporates annual benchmark revisions to the composite economic indexes. These regular benchmark revisions bring the indexes up-to-date with revisions in the source data, but do not change the cyclical properties of the indexes. The indexes are updated throughout the year, but only for the previous six months. Data revisions that fall outside of the moving six-month window are incorporated when the benchmark revision is made and the entire histories of the indexes are recomputed. As a result, the revised indexes and their month-over-month changes will no longer be directly comparable to those issued prior to the benchmark revision. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm or contact [email protected].

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.

Summary Table of Composite Indexes

	2012						6-month
	Oct		Nov		Dec		Jun to Dec

Leading Economic Index (LEI)	104.5	p	105.1	p	105.5	p
Percent Change	-0.2	p	0.6	p	0.4	p	1.1	p
Diffusion	42.9		92.9		85.7		85.7

Coincident Economic Index (CEI)	101.5	p	101.5	p	101.4	p
Percent Change	-0.2	p	0.0	p	-0.1	p	-0.7	p
Diffusion	0.0		50.0		50.0		0.0

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