Financial News: U.S. Leading Economic Index Decreases For Fifth Straight

U.S. Leading Economic Index Decreases For Fifth Straight Month In December

02/19/2026 - 10:38:00 (RTTNews)

(RTTNews) - The Conference Board released a report on Thursday showing a continued decrease by its reading on leading U.S. economic indicators in the month of December.

The report said the leading economic index dipped by 0.2 percent in December after falling by 0.3 percent in November.

"The US LEI registered its fifth consecutive monthly decline in December, indicating continued softness in the economy in early 2026," said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board.

"Persistently weak consumer expectations indicators and the ISM New Orders Index made the largest negative contributions to the LEI in December," she added. "Labor market data also weighed on the Index, with an increase in unemployment claims and a decline in average weekly hours in manufacturing."

The Conference Board said the lagging economic index also edged down by 0.1 percent in December after inching up by 0.1 percent in November.

Meanwhile, the report said the coincident economic index rose by 0.2 percent in December after ticking up by 0.1 percent in November.

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