LA Times -- The index of U.S. leading indicators rose in March by the most in 10 months, a sign the economy will keep growing into the second half of the year. The 1.4 percent increase in the New York-based Conference Board's measure of the outlook for three to six months was more than anticipated and followed a revised 0.4 percent gain in February.
Manufacturers are ratcheting up production and factory workers are putting in longer hours as companies rebuild inventories and ship more goods overseas. Further improvement in the job market will help sustain the economy's recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s.
"The economy really seems to be gaining momentum, with better-than-expected data coming from a wider variety of sources," said Russell Price, a senior economist at Ameriprise Financial Inc. in Detroit. "The sectors that were doing well appear to be doing even better and those that were struggling appear to be seeing signs of renewed activity."
MP: The Leading Economic Index has now increased in each month since last April, which is the first 12-consecutive month increase since mid-2004, almost six years ago. The unadjusted 1.5 point increase in the index from 108.1 in February to 109.6 in March was the largest monthly increase in the history of the index back to 1970, and on a percentage basis, the 1.4% increase was the highest in six years, since March of 2004.
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