The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Korea declined 1.1 percent in July to 121.0 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in June, and a 1.1 percent decline in May.
At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Korea, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.6 percent in July to 118.4 (2004 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in June, and a 0.5 percent decline in May.
The LEI for Korea has shown virtually no upward progress in almost three years, and with July's decline its six-month growth rate has now slipped slightly into negative territory. Meanwhile, the CEI for Korea continued to gradually improve through July, but its six-month growth rate has slowed compared to earlier this year. Taken together, the composite indexes and their components continue to suggest that the rate of economic growth is likely to remain subdued in the months to come.