The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for China increased 1.1 percent in April to 322.2 (2004 = 100), following a 0.5 percent increase in March and a 1.4 percent increase in February. Total floor space started made a very large positive contribution to the index, while the consumer expectations index was the only negative contributor in April.
"Despite April's gain in the Leading Economic Index for China, its six-month increase rate continues to slow, confirming a soft growth outlook for China's economy through the summer," said Jing Sima, senior economist at The Conference Board China Center in Beijing. "In addition, the flatness in the Coincident Economic Index for China suggests that the series of growth-support measures announced so far this year has not yet strengthened economic activity."
The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China, which measures current economic activity, was unchanged in April at 275.9 (2004 = 100), following a 2.9 percent increase in March and a 0.7 percent decrease in February. Three of the five components contributed positively to the index in April.
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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