The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for China increased 0.2 percent in March to 317.8 (2004 = 100), following a 1.4 percent increase in February and a 0.6 percent increase in January. Three of the six components contributed positively to the index in March.
Said Andrew Polk, resident economist at The Conference Board China Center in Beijing, "Exports, consumer confidence, and real estate all weighed negatively on the Leading Economic Index for China in March, resulting in its weakest monthly growth in more than a year. In addition, the LEI's six-month growth rate has been slowing over the past year, suggesting the economy will continue losing momentum through the summer."
The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, which measures current economic activity, increased 1.7 percent in March to 274.2 (2004 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in February and a 0.8 percent decline in January. Four of the five components contributed positively to the index in March.
The Conference Board LEI for China aggregates six economic indicators that measure economic activity in China. Each of the LEI components has proven accurate on its own. Aggregating individual indicators into a composite index filters out so-called "noise" to show underlying trends more clearly.