The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Korea declined 0.6 percent in May to 122.8 (2004 = 100), following a 1.0 percent increase in April, and a 0.8 percent increase in March.
At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Korea, a measure of current economic activity, declined 0.5 percent in May to 117.9 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decline in April, and a 0.7 percent decline in March.
The LEI for Korea decreased in May, and as a result its six-month change has slipped into negative territory for the first time since September 2013. Meanwhile, the CEI for Korea also declined in May, and its six-month growth rate has slowed substantially compared to earlier this year. Taken together, the weakening in both the LEI and CEI and their components suggests that the rate of economic growth is unlikely to pick up in the near term.