Leading Indicators Declined 0.2% in January

Washington, DC, February 18, 2016—The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. declined 0.2% in January to 123.2, following a 0.3% decrease in December and a 0.5% increase in November.

“The U.S. LEI fell slightly in January, driven primarily by large declines in stock prices and further weakness in initial claims for unemployment insurance,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, director of business cycles and growth research at The Conference Board. “Despite back-to-back monthly declines, the index doesn’t signal a significant increase in the risk of recession, and its six-month growth rate remains consistent with a modest economic expansion through early 2016.”

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.3% in January to 113.2, following a 0.1% increase in December, and no change in November.

The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.1% in January to 120.0, following a 0.2% increase in December, and a 0.4% increase in November.