The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for France declined 0.3 percent in February to 117.7 (2004 = 100), following a 0.4 percent increase in January, and a 0.3 percent increase in December.
At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for France, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.1 percent in February to 103.7 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent decline in January and a 0.1 percent increase in December.
February's decline in the LEI resulted in its six-month growth rate slowing, but it is still moderately better compared to six months ago. Meanwhile, the CEI has been relatively flat for two years, but its six-month growth rate turned slightly positive in recent months. Taken together, the recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that France's economy is likely to moderately improve through the first half of 2014.
