The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the US Fell in March
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the US declined by 0.7% in March 2025 to 100.5 (2016=100), after a decline of 0.2% (revised up from –0.3%) in February. The LEI also fell by 1.2% in the six-month period ending in March 2025, a smaller rate of decline than its –2.3% contraction over the previous six months (March–September 2024). The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for the US increased by 0.1% in March 2025 to 114.4 (2016=100), after a 0.3% increase in February. The CEI rose by 0.8% over the six-month period between September 2024 and March 2025, up slightly from its 0.7% growth over the previous six months. The CEI’s four component indicators—payroll employment, personal income less transfer payments, manufacturing and trade sales, and industrial production—are included among the data used to determine recessions in the US. Industrial production, which has…
