Conference Board Reports U.S. Leading Economic Index® Increases 1.3% in March

The Conference Board, which was founded in 1916 as a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank, released today (4-22-21) their March 2021 Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. According to the release, the LEI, which is based on ten separate components, increased 1.3% in March to 111.6 (2016 = 100), following a -0.1% decrease in February and a 0.5% increase in January. The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for the U.S. increased 0.6% in March to 104.0 (2016 = 100), following a -0.1% decrease in February and a 0.5 percent increase in January. The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index® (LAG) for the U.S. decreased -0.5% in March to 105.1 (2016 = 100), following a 1.6% increase in February and -2.7% decrease in January. In remarks prepared for the March 2021 LEI release, Ataman Ozyildirim, Senior Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board said, “The U.S. LEI rose sharply in March, which more than offset February’s slightly negative revised figure. The improvement in the U.S. LEI, with all ten components contributing positively, suggests economic momentum is increasing in the near term. The widespread gains among the leading indicators are supported by an accelerating vaccination campaign, gradual lifting of mobility restrictions, as well as current and expected fiscal stimulus. The recent trend in the U.S. LEI is consistent with the economy picking up in the coming months, and The Conference Board now projects year-over-year growth could reach 6.0% in 2021.”