LEI Decreases 0.1% In January

The composite index of leading economic indicators fell 0.1% in January, the Conference Board reported yesterday.

The LEI decreased a revised 0.1% in December, originally reported as a 0.2% decline.

The coincident index rose 0.1% after a revised 0.2% increase in December, originally reported as a 0.1% rise, while the lagging index was unchanged after a revised 0.2% rise, originally reported as a 0.4% gain in December.

The LEI stands at 135.8, the coincident index is 125.2 and the lagging index is at 130.7. Economists polled by IFR Markets predicted LEI would be down 0.1% in the month.

“The leading index declined for the fourth straight month,” according to Conference Board labor economist Ken Goldstein. “But the coincident economic index, which measures where the economy is at present, remains slow but steady. The CEI is a better indicator than GDP of where we are right now and since the CEI was still showing a positive change in January, then the economy was not in recession.”

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