The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for France was unchanged in August, remaining at 118.2 (2004 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in July, and a 0.1 percent decline in June.
At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for France, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.1 percent in August to 103.9 (2004 = 100), following no change in July, and a 0.2 percent increase in June.
The LEI has improved moderately in recent months. As a result, its six-month growth rate remains positive, but is only half as fast as six months ago. Meanwhile, the CEI has been relatively flat for the past two years, and its six-month growth rate remains slightly positive. Taken together, the recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that economic activity is likely to remain sluggish throughout the remainder of this year.