Following declines in July and August, the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators for the U.S. rose a tenth of a percentage point in September. The leading index now stands at 137.7 (1996=100).
Five of the ten indicators included in the index were positive in September, including manufacturers' new orders for non-defense capital goods.
The leading index has fallen 1% since January, and the U.S. economy slowed dramatically between the first and second quarters of this year, notes the Conference Board, a New York-based business research group. "The behavior of the leading index so far suggests that economic growth should continue at [a] slow rate in the near term," says the Conference Board.
