quote:

---

CNN/Money - A basket of leading U.S. economic indicators rose in January, a research group said Thursday, hinting at a continuing recovery for the world's largest economy.

The Conference Board, a private research group, said its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.5 percent to 115 after rising 0.2 percent in December. January's gain matched economists' consensus forecast, according to Briefing.com.

"The continued growth in the leading index is signaling that strong economic growth should persist in the near term," the Conference Board said.

The report had little impact on U.S. stock prices, which continued to rise in early trading. Treasury bond prices fell.

Five of the ten indicators that make up the leading index contributed to its gain in January, including gains in consumer expectations, stock prices and average weekly manufacturing hours, along with a slowdown in vendor delivery time (indicating increased activity) and a decline in weekly claims for unemployment insurance.

...

http://money.cnn.com/2004/02/19/news/economy/leading_indicators/index.htm

---