The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators for the UK rose two-tenths of a percentage point in January, the most recent month for which data are available. The index, which now stands at 133.6 (1990=100), was unchanged in December 2005 and posted a one-tenth percentage point decline in November 2005.
"The recent behavior in the leading index suggests that the [UK} economy is likely to continue growing at a moderate pace in the near term," says the Conference Board, a New York-based business research group. The UK's economy grew at an annual rate of 2.3% during the second half of 2005.
