The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. Increased in January

Staff Report

Friday, February 21st, 2020

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.8 percent in January to 112.1 (2016 = 100), following a 0.3 percent decline in December and a 0.1 percent increase in November.

"The strong pickup in the January US LEI was driven by a sharp drop in initial unemployment insurance claims, increasing housing permits, consumers' outlook on the economy and financial indicators," said Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board. "The LEI's six-month growth rate has returned to positive territory, suggesting that the current economic expansion – at about 2 percent – will continue through early 2020. While weakness in manufacturing appears to show signs of softening, the COVID-19 outbreak may impact manufacturing supply chains in the US in the coming months."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.1 percent in January to 107.3 (2016 = 100), following no change in December, and a 0.4 percent increase in November.

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index for the U.S. was unchanged in January at 108.7 (2016 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decline in December, and a 0.3 percent increase in November.