Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. Ticks Down

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. ticked down by 0.3% in April to 114.0 (2004 = 100), following a 0.7% increase in March and a 0.9% increase in February.

“The U.S. LEI has been rising since March 2009, with only a brief one-month interruption in June 2010, and now, in April 2011,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, an economist at The Conference Board. “The U.S. Coincident Economic Index, which measures current economic conditions, continued to increase, supported by improving employment figures. Overall, the composite indexes still point to strengthening business conditions in the near term, although the path may be uneven.”

Ken Goldstein, another economist at The Conference Board, added: “The economy has been growing moderately and delivering some new jobs. The U.S. LEI was rising strongly—up sharply in four of the five months through March—but slipped in April. Economic growth will likely continue through the summer and fall, but the pace of economic activity may be choppy.”