The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for China increased 1.5 percent in February to 317.6 (2004 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in January and a 0.9 percent increase in December. Five of the six components contributed positively to the index in February.
Said Andrew Polk, resident economist at The Conference Board China Center in Beijing, "China's current economic conditions deteriorated further in February, led by significant weakening in electricity production. Meanwhile, the Leading Economic Index for China stabilized on improvement in the consumer outlook, which is likely buoyed by the Chinese New Year holiday. Still, compared to the second half of 2014, the six-month growth rate of the LEI remains subdued, pointing to continued moderation in economic growth in Q2."
The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, which measures current economic activity, decreased 0.7 percent in February to 266.8 (2004 = 100), following a 0.4 percent decline in January and a 1.3 percent increase in December. Three of the five components contributed positively to the index in February.
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.
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