The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Australia increased 0.4 percent in January to 103.5 (2010 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in December, and no change in November.
At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Australia, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.1 percent in January to 107.5 (2010 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in December, and a 0.4 percent increase in November.
The Conference Board LEI for Australia increased for the second consecutive month in January, after declining for most of 2014. Although its six-month growth rate remains in negative territory, the rate of decline has subsided compared to the last two quarters of 2014. Meanwhile, the CEI for Australia continues to improve, and its six-month growth rate is higher than a few months ago. Taken together, the recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that the economic expansion should continue in the near term, but the pace is unlikely to pick up considerably over the next few months.
