NEW YORK, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Mexico declined 0.2 percent in March to 122.4 (2004 = 100), following a 1.0 percent increase in February, and a 1.3 percent increase in January.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for Mexico, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.6 percent in March to 120.2 (2004 = 100), following a 0.9 percent increase in February, and a 0.6 percent increase in January.

The Conference Board LEI for Mexico fell slightly in March, but its six-month growth rate continued to pick up from the fourth quarter of last year. Meanwhile, The Conference Board CEI for Mexico remained on an upward trend that started in mid-2009, and its six-month growth continued to improve with widespread strengths. Taken together, the behavior of the composite indexes suggests that the current economic expansion is likely to continue in the near term.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Mexico
The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The leading and coincident economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading or coincident indicators. They are constructed to summarize and reveal common turning point patterns in economic data in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component – primarily because they smooth out some of the volatility of individual components.

The six components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® for Mexico include:

Industrial Production, Construction Component
Stock Prices
U.S. Refiners' Acquisition Cost of Domestic and Imported Crude Oil
Net Insufficient Inventories
Federal Funds Rate
Real Exchange Rate

For more information including full press release and technical notes:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=8

For more information about The Conference Board global business cycle indicators:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is an independent business membership and research association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States.  www.conference-board.org.

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