Financial News: U.S. Leading Economic Index Dips Slightly More Than

U.S. Leading Economic Index Dips Slightly More Than Expected In June

(RTTNews) - Partially reversing gains registered in May and April, the Conference Board released a report on Monday showing a modest pullback by its reading on leading U.S. economic indicators in the month of June.

The Conference Board said its leading economic index dipped by 0.2 percent in June after inching up by 0.1 percent in May. Economists had expected the index to edge down by 0.1 percent.

"While some components of the LEI were little changed, the largest positive contribution from the yield spread, followed by marginal positive input from the remaining financial components, were not enough to offset weak consumer expectations and a drop in building permits across most of its categories," said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board.

"Despite the recent decline, the LEI's six- and twelve-month growth rates, while negative, were stable," she added. "Consumer spending is weakening, but strong business investment related to AI is expected to support economic activity while inflation continues to improve."

The Conference Board said the leading economic index is down by only 0.3 percent over the first half of 2026, a much smaller rate of decline than its 1.1 percent contraction over the second half of 2025.

The report also said the coincident economic index rose by 0.2 percent in June, matching the increase seen in May, while the lagging economic index was unchanged in June after slipping by 0.1 percent in May.

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