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U.S. Leading Economic Indicators Better Than Expected

December 17, 2009

by The TopStock Team

Headline Alert

Economic Update: Leading Economic Index

The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index increased by +0.9% in November. This was above the consensus estimate for a increase of +0.7%.

October showed a gain of +0.3% and September’s rise was +1.2%.

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index for the U.S. rose 0.2% in November, following an unchanged reading in October, and a -0.1% decline in September.

Says Ataman Ozyildirim, Economist at The Conference Board: "The Conference Board LEI has been on an uptrend for more than half a year and it is now slightly higher than its latest peak in July 2007. Improving financial conditions, labor market indicators, and housing permits have helped the LEI continue its gains in November. However, its six-month growth rate has slowed somewhat in recent months."

Says Ken Goldstein, Economist at The Conference Board: "The indicators point to a bright new year. The U.S. LEI increased for the eighth consecutive month. Looking ahead, we can expect a slowly improving economy through 2010. The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) for the U.S. also increased in November. Employment largely held steady, making this the first month since December 2007 that it did not make a negative contribution to the index."

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