The Conference Board's leading economic index for Germany rose half a percentage point in November 2005, the most recent month for which data are available. The index now stands at 105.1 (1990=100). "With November's increase, the leading index has been growing at a 3% to 3.5% annual rate in recent months, up from essentially no growth at the beginning of 2005," notes the New York-based business research group.
GDP growth also has picked up, to a 2.4% annual rate in the third quarter of 2005, and the "continued widespread growth in the leading index suggests that the recent pickup in economic activity is likely to persist in the near term," says the Conference Board.
