The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Germany Increases

NEW YORK, May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Germany increased 0.5 percent in March to 108.5 (2010 = 100), following a 0.7 percent increase in February, and a 0.4 percent increase in January.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Germany, a measure of current economic activity, declined 0.2 percent in March to 105.1 (2010 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in February, and no change in January.

In March, the LEI for Germany increased for the fifth consecutive month, and the strengths among the components have become more widespread. As a result, its six-month growth rate has improved. Meanwhile, despite a small decline in March, the CEI has been modestly advancing and the strengths among its components remain widespread. Taken together, the recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that the economy should continue to expand in the near-term, and the pace of growth could possibly even improve.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Germany The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The leading and coincident economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading or coincident indicators. They are constructed to summarize and reveal common turning point patterns in economic data in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component – primarily because they smooth out some of the volatility of individual components.

The seven components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® for Germany include:

New Orders, Investment Goods  Yield Spread cumulated, 10 year minus 3 month  Change in Inventories  Gross Enterprise and Property Income  Stock Prices  New Orders, Residential Construction  Consumer Confidence Index

About The Conference Board The Conference Board is a global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States.

For more information including full press release and technical notes:  http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=4

For more information about The Conference Board global business cycle indicators:  http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm

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SOURCE The Conference Board