The Conference Board Leading Economic Index(R) (LEI) for Australia Decreased

PR Newswire

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2014

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index(R) (LEI) for Australia decreased 0.2 percent in August to 128.9 (2004 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in July, and a 0.2 percent increase in June.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index(R) (CEI) for Australia, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.2 percent in August to 125.3 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in July, and a 0.1 percent increase in June.

The Conference Board LEI for Australia decreased in August, for the fourth time this year, and as a result, its six-month growth rate has declined slightly into negative territory this month. Meanwhile, the six-month growth rate of the CEI for Australia has moderated in recent months, and is lower compared to six months ago. Taken together, the recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that economic expansion should continue, but with the risk of slower pace in the near term.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index(R) (LEI) for Australia

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(R) for Australia include:

Yield Spread, 10 year minus Policy Rate

Share Prices, All Ordinaries

Money Supply, M3

Rural Goods Exports

Sales to Inventory Ratio

Gross Operating Surplus, Private Non-Financial Corporations

Building Approvals

For more information including full press release and technical notes:

http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=7

For more information about The Conference Board global business cycle indicators:

http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is an 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. www.conference-board.org.

Follow The Conference Board

Twitter| Facebook| LinkedIn

 
          Summary Table of Composite Economic Indexes 
                                     2014             6-month 
                              Jun     Jul     Aug    Feb to Aug 
 
Leading Economic Index       128.3  p129.1  p128.9  p 
  Percent Change               0.2  p  0.6  p -0.2  p      -0.3 
  Diffusion                   71.4    85.7    42.9         57.1 
 
Coincident Economic Index    124.9  p125.0  p125.3  p 
  Percent Change               0.1  p  0.1  p  0.2  p       0.6 
  Diffusion                   62.5    75.0   100.0         62.5 
 
n.a. Not available   p Preliminary    r Revised 
 Indexes equal 100 in 2004 
 Source: The Conference Board      All Rights Reserved 
 

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-conference-board-leading-economic-index-lei-for-australia-decreased-505133012.html

SOURCE The Conference Board

/Web site: http://www.conference-board.org