'Leading Indicators' Rose In May

There was a 0.8 percent rise in its "leading economic index" in May from April, the private Conference Board just reported.

The indicator, which is supposed to tell us how the economy will be doing over the next six or nine months, is among many recent signals that things will probably be "choppy" through the summer and fall, Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein says in a statement issued with the report.

There was a 0.4 percent drop in the index from March to April.

The index measures such things as unemployment insurance claims, factory orders and consumer expectations.

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