Press Release

Slight Rise in Leading Economic Indicators

Topic:	Economic Research and Analysis
Description:	The Conference Board reports today that the Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.1% in March, following a 0.3% decline in February.
Press Release Date:	02 May 00

The Conference Board reports today that the Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose 0.1% in March, following a 0.3% decline in February.

"The significant increase in the leading indicators during the last six months, tempered only by the financially-related pause in February, points to forward momentum in this expansion," says Conference Board Economist Ken Goldstein. "March was the 108^th month of this now record expansion, which looks likely to continue for at least the next few months. Possible danger signs include intermittent declines in the manufacturing ordering rate, the chance that unemployment growth may reach a population limit, and the continued efforts of the Federal Reserve Board to try to moderate growth by repeatedly raising interest rates."

The Conference Board also reports that the Coincident Index rose 0.4 percent in March, after no gain in February, and four months of very strong gains prior to that. Gains in employment and income continue to drive the coincident index ahead. The lagging index showed no change in March, after a sharp 0.6% rise in February. A jump in the average duration of unemployment and a rise in the unit labor costs in manufacturing offset a rise in the services component of the Consumer Price Index.

See related Conference Board Products and Services in

• Economic Research and Analysis

Copyright © 2000 The Conference Board Inc. All rights reserved. The Conference Board and torch logo are registered trademarks of The Conference Board Inc.