By Jill Mislinski
The latest Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for July rose to 112.2, up from the June figure of 111.6.
The Conference Board LEI for the U.S. increased in July, driven by positive contributions from building permits, initial claims for unemployment insurance (inverted) and the financial components. However, the yield spread remained negative for a second consecutive month. In the six-month period ending in July, the leading economic index increased 0.8 percent (about a 1.6 percent annual rate), around the same rate of growth as over the previous six months. In addition,