(10-18-18)
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.5 percent in September to 111.8 (2016 = 100), following a 0.4 percent increase in August, and a 0.7 percent increase in July.
“The US LEI improved further in September, suggesting the US business cycle remains on a strong growth trajectory heading into 2019. However, the LEI’s growth has slowed somewhat in recent months, suggesting the economy may be facing capacity constraints and increasingly tight labor markets,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Director and Global Research Chair at The Conference Board. “Economic growth could exceed 3.5 percent in the second half of 2018, but, unless the momentum in housing, orders and stock prices accelerates, that pace is unlikely to be sustained in 2019.” The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.1 percent in September to 104.4 (2016 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in August, and a 0.1 percent increase in July. The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index® (LAG) for the U.S. declined 0.1 percent in September to 105.3 (2016 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in August and a 0.2 percent decline in July.
