The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Japan increased 0.3 percent in September to 97.8 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1 percent increase in August, and a 0.9 percent decline in July.
At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Japan, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.4 percent in September to 95.3 (2004 = 100), following a 0.2 percent decline in August, and a 0.1 percent decline in July.
The Conference Board LEI and The Conference Board CEI for Japan increased in September, and the strengths in their components have become more widespread. While the six-month change in the LEI remains negative, it has improved in recent months. The six month growth rate of the CEI also remains negative, but the rate of decline has held steady over the past few months. Taken together, the behavior of both indexes suggests, that economic activity is likely to expand at a moderate pace in the months to come.
