U.S. leading economic index declines in December: report

The U.S. leading economic index (LEI) declined in December after a modest increase in November, indicating a slowing growth of The economy, The Conference Board reported on Thursday.

The LEI for The United States declined 0.1 percent in December to 111.7, following a 0.2 percent increase in November, and a 0.3 percent decline in October, said The New York-based institution.

"The recent moderation in The LEI suggests that The U.S. economic growth rate may slow down this year," said Ataman Ozyildirim, a leading researcher at The Conference Board.

"While The effects of The government shutdown are not yet reflected here, The LEI suggests that The economy could decelerate towards 2 percent growth by The end of 2019," Ozyildirim added.

The Conference Board coincident economic index (CEI) for The United States increased 0.2 percent in December to 105.1, following a 0.2 percent increase in November, and a 0.2 percent increase in October.

Meanwhile, The lagging economic index (LAG) for The world's largest economy increased 0.5 percent in December to 106.7, following a 0.5 percent increase in November and a 0.6 percent increase in October, said The same report.

The composite economic indexes are designed to signal peaks and troughs in The business cycle. The leading, coincident, and lagging economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading, coincident, or lagging indicators.