Leading Economic Indicators Surge in February

New York, NY, March 20, 2014 -- The Conference Board's leading economic index jumped 0.5% in February.

The sharp increase comes after a 0.1% rise in January and a 0.1% decline in December.

"The U.S. LEI increased sharply in February, suggesting that any weather-related volatility will be short lived and the economy should continue to improve into the second half of the year," said Ataman Ozyildirim, economist at The Conference Board, in a press release.