The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for France increased 0.3 percent in January to 117.5 (2004 = 100), following a 0.3 percent increase in December, and a 0.1 percent increase in November.
At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for France, a measure of current economic activity, was unchanged in January, at 103.5 (2004 = 100), following no change in December, and a 0.1 percent increase in November.
The LEI for France continued on its upward trend in January and, as a result, its six-month growth rate also advanced further on recent months' gains. Meanwhile, the CEI has been relatively flat for the past year, but its six-month growth rate has turned slightly positive in recent months. Taken together, the recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that France's economy will continue to improve and the pace of growth may even see a moderate pick-up in the first half of 2014.