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

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Apr 29, 2015, 09:30 ET

NEW YORK, April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.7 percent to 105.1 (2010=100) in March, following a 0.6 percent increase in February, and a 0.2 percent increase in January.

"The outlook for the Euro Area for the rest of the year continued to improve in March, as the Leading Economic Index for the Euro Area experienced another month of strong growth after four consecutive increases," said Bert Colijn, Senior Economist at The Conference Board. "Increasing confidence among consumers and investors were the major contributors to the rise in the LEI, but the improvements were widespread. Despite the large downside risks of a possible Grexit, the Euro Area's economy appears to be strengthening."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^® (CEI) for the Euro Area, which measures current economic activity, also increased in March. The index now stands at 100.3* (2010 = 100). The CEI was unchanged in February and increased 0.2 percent in January.

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 twelve other individual countries, including Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, 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:

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)

To view The Conference Board calendar for 2015 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 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).

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
	Jan		Feb		Mar		Sep to Mar

Leading Economic Index (LEI)	103.8	p	104.4	p	105.1	p
Percent Change	0.2	p	0.6	p	0.7	p	1.8	p
Diffusion	62.5		62.5		87.5		62.5

Coincident Economic Index (CEI)	100.2	p	100.2	p	100.3	p
Percent Change	0.2	p	0.0	p	0.1	p	0.7	p
Diffusion	62.5		37.5		50.0		100.0

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