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

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Jun 26, 2014, 04:00 ET

BRUSSELS, June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.3 percent in May 2014 to 111.7 (2004=100), following a 0.2 percent decrease in April and 0.2 increase in March.

"May's moderate increase in the Leading Economic Index — alongside a slowdown in its six-month growth rate — suggest that the Euro Area will continue on the path of a very modest economic recovery," said Bert Colijn, Senior Economist at The Conference Board. "Service sector expectations and confidence only grew modestly in May, while the manufacturing PMI contributed negatively to the index."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^® (CEI) for the Euro Area, which measures current economic activity, was unchanged in May, according to preliminary estimates. The index now stands at 101.5* (2004 = 100). The CEI increased 0.1 percent in April and was unchanged in March.

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 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)

To view The Conference Board calendar for 2014 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.

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Summary Table of Composite Indexes
	2014						6-month
	Mar		Apr		May		Nov to May

Leading Economic Index (LEI)	111.6	p	111.4	p	111.7	p
Percent Change	0.2	p	-0.2	p	0.3	p	2.4	p
Diffusion	71.4		42.9		78.6		100.0

Coincident Economic Index (CEI)	101.4	p	101.5	p	101.5	p
Percent Change	0.0	p	0.1	p	0.0	p	0.2	p
Diffusion	37.5		62.5		37.5		100.0

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