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

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Aug 27, 2015, 09:30 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.3 percent to 107.7 (2010=100) in July, following a 0.5 percent increase in June and a 0.2 percent increase in May.

"The Leading Economic Index for the Euro Area increased in July, suggesting the European economy will continue to improve moderately through the final months of the year," said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Business Cycles and Growth Research at The Conference Board. "The improvement in the LEI was widespread, with consumer expectations, new orders for manufacturing and the financial components the major contributors to the rise. Business expectations, however, remain weak."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^® (CEI) for the Euro Area, which measures current economic activity, also increased in July. The index now stands at 100.4* (2010 = 100). The CEI decreased 0.1 percent in June and increased 0.1 percent in May.

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

Interest Rate Spread (source: European Central Bank)
Consumer expectation of general economic condition of next 12 months (source: European Commission)
Index of Residential Building Permits Granted (source: Eurostat)
EURO STOXX^® Index (source: STOXX Limited)
Systemic Stress Composite Indicator (source: European Central Bank)
Capital Goods New Orders, index (source: European Central Bank)
Markit Manufacturing New Orders Index (source: Markit Economics)
Markit Business Expectations Index, Service (source: Markit Economics)

Series in The Conference Board LEI for the Euro Area that are based on The Conference Board estimates are capital goods new orders 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 2015 indicator releases:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/

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

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
			2015				6-month
	May		Jun		Jul		Jan to Jul

Leading Economic Index (LEI)	106.9	p	107.4	p	107.7	p
Percent Change	0.2	p	0.5	p	0.3	p	3.2	p
Diffusion	56.3		75.0		62.5		100.0

Coincident Economic Index (CEI)	100.4	p	100.3	p	100.4	p
Percent Change	0.1	p	-0.1	p	0.1	p	0.3	p
Diffusion	62.5		12.5		87.5		62.5

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