US: CB Leading Economic Index ticks down to 111.7 in December

"The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for theU.S. declined 0.1 percent in December to 111.7 (2016 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in November, and a 0.3 percent decline in October," the Conference Board reported on Thursday.

Ataman Ozyildirim, Director of Economic Research at The Conference Board, on data:

“The US LEI declined slightly in December and the recent moderation in the LEI suggests that the US economic growth rate may slow down this year.”

"While the effects of the government shutdown are not yet reflected here, the LEI suggests that the economy could decelerate towards 2 percent growth by the end of 2019.”