Bad Credit Mortgage Refinance ®
		Home Page News You Can Use Index of Leading Indicators Rose 0.5% in January Thursday February 19, 10:41 am ET By Michael S. Derby NEW YORK -- The economy's outlook grew brighter in January, lifted by consumer confidence and rising stock prices, a private research group said Thursday. The Conference Board said that its index of leading indicators rose 0.5% in January to 115, after a revised 0.2% increase the month before. January's reading was the largest increase since October. The index was equal to 100 in 1996. January's reading matched the 0.5% gain expected by economists. The report serves as further confirmation the U.S. economy has gotten off to a solid start in 2004. The report and its components "point to sustained economic growth, perhaps through the first half of this year," Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein said in a press release. The group said that five of 10 indicators rose in January. The largest positive contributors to the index were consumer expectations, stock prices, and average weekly manufacturing hours. The most significant negative contributors were building permits and interest-rate spreads. Mr. Goldstein warned "the road could get bumpy" if consumer confidence falters and wage growth doesn't continue to expand. "While those risks are important, their probabilities are not very high," he said. The optimism contained in the Conference Board's report, when joined with what has been a wide range of other reports showing good growth in the U.S. economy, is still unlikely to herald an interest-rate increase anytime soon from the Federal Reserve. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan testified before Congress last week and forcefully described the Fed's willingness to be "patient" with the course of the recovery, given that there is still considerable slack to be found in the overall economy, while inflation pressures remain very tame. The Conference Board also said that its composite index of coincident indicators increased 0.3% in January to 115.8. Meanwhile, the group's composite index of lagging indicators was unchanged at 98.2. The Conference Board is a nonprofit research and business membership group that computes the composite indexes from the U.S. Department of Commerce.   Back to Original Article: News You Can Use   Continue with: Jobless claims fall sharply Global Econ Recovery Broadening - Australian Treasury LDP Kamei Says Japan Economy Still Severe - Kyodo Democrats Can't Get Firm Grip on Jobs Issue Democrats Can't Get Firm Grip on Jobs Issue Part Two Japan and Iran Sign Major Oil Deal Bush Economic Team Under Fire Over Jobs Bush Economic Team Under Fire Over Jobs Part twoD 3 European Leaders Agree on Economic Plan Jobless Claims Drop, But Labor Still Soft Jobless Claims Drop, But Labor Still Soft Part Two Stocks Set to Climb After Solid Earnings Euro Attempts Small Rebound on Dollar Euro Attempts Small Rebound on Dollar Part two Jobless Claims in U.S. Decline to 344,000, More Than Economists' Forecasts One step closer to hydrogen economy? The escaping price of natural gas Stock funds swell by $60 billion
		Bad Credit Mortgage Refinance