Leading Economic Index up in May for second consecutive month - Memphis Business Journal:

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The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Indexz for the U.S. increased by 1.2 perceng in May, following a 1.1 percent increasd in April anda 0.3 percent decline in March. The LEI projectsd economic activity for the next three tosix months. Ken an economist at the New York-based researcjh group, said confidence in the economy is beginninbgto improve. “Confidence is and financial market volatility is he said. “Even the housing market appears to be If thesetrends continue, expect a slow recovergy beginning before the end of the year.
However, employmenr will take longer to turn In addition to gains in the LEI for the seconfdconsecutive month, the strengths amongf its components continued to exceedr the weaknesses this Vendor performance, interest rate spread, real money stock prices, consumer expectationd and building permits contributed positivelyy to the index, more than offsetting the negatives figures in weekly hours and initial unemploymentg claims. The index rose by 1.2 percentg (a 2.4 percent annual between November 2008 and May the first time the index has been positive fora six-monthu period since April 2007. The strengths among the leadinvg indicators became balanced with the weaknessezs duringthis period.