The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. Increases
NEW YORK, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.3 percent in March to 95.7 (2004 = 100), following a 0.7 percent increase in February, and a 0.2 percent increase in January.
Says Ataman Ozyildirim, economist at The Conference Board: "The LEI increased for the sixth consecutive month, pointing to a more positive outlook despite subdued consumer expectations and weakness in manufacturing new orders. Moreover, the six-month growth rate of the LEI continues to improve. The CEI, a measure of current economic conditions, has also increased in five of the last six months, with broad based gains in all components."
Says Ken Goldstein, economist at The Conference Board: "Despite relatively weak data on jobs, home building and output in the past month or two, the indicators signal continued economic momentum. We expect a gradual improvement in growth past the summer months."
The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.2 percent in March to 104.2 (2004 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in February, and a 0.1 percent increase in January.
The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index® (LAG) increased 0.3 percent in March to 114.4 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in February, and a 0.6 percent increase in January.
Summary Table of Composite Economic Indexes |
|||||||
2012 |
6-month |
||||||
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Sep to Mar |
||||
Leading index |
94.7 |
r |
95.4 |
r |
95.7 |
p |
|
Percent Change |
.2 |
.7 |
.3 |
p |
2.7 |
||
Diffusion |
70.0 |
80.0 |
70.0 |
70.0 |
|||
Coincident Index |
103.8 |
104.0 |
104.2 |
p |
|||
Percent Change |
.1 |
r |
.2 |
.2 |
p |
2.0 |
|
Diffusion |
75.0 |
62.5 |
87.5 |
100.0 |
|||
Lagging Index |
114.0 |
r |
114.1 |
114.4 |
p |
||
Percent Change |
.6 |
r |
.1 |
r |
.3 |
p |
2.1 |
Diffusion |
85.7 |
50.0 |
71.4 |
64.3 |
|||
n.a. Not available p Preliminary r Revised |
|||||||
Indexes equal 100 in 2004 |
|||||||
Source: The Conference Board |
About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S.
The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The leading, coincident, and lagging economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading, coincident, or lagging indicators. They are constructed to summarize and reveal common turning point patterns in economic data in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component – primarily because they smooth out some of the volatility of individual components.
The ten components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® for the U.S. include:
Average weekly hours, manufacturing
Average weekly initial claims for unemployment insurance
Manufacturers' new orders, consumer goods and materials
ISM Index of New Orders
Manufacturers' new orders, nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft orders
Building permits, new private housing units
Stock prices, 500 common stocks
Leading Credit Index™
Interest rate spread, 10-year Treasury bonds less federal funds
Average consumer expectations for business conditions
For full press release and technical notes: http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=1
For more information about The Conference Board global business cycle indicators: http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm
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. www.conference-board.org
SOURCE The Conference Board
Share this article