The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for China increased 1.4 percent in July. The index stands at 267.3 (2004 = 100), following a 0.8 percent increase in June and a 0.3 percent increase in May. All six components contributed positively to the index in July.

Says Andrew Polk, resident economist at The Conference Board China Center in Beijing: "An unexpectedly large acceleration in real estate activity provided a boost to the China LEI in July. However, the index has recently been volatile, month-to-month, and overall its growth has been gradually slowing.  Although an improved outlook for exports will likely help to ease the ongoing economic slowdown, China's domestic economy continues to struggle."  

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for China, which measures current economic activity, increased 1.1 percent in July to 245.6 (2004 = 100), following a 1.1 percent increase in June and a 0.6 percent increase in May. Four of the five components contributed positively to the index in July.

The Conference Board LEI for China aggregates six economic indicators that measure economic activity in China. Each of the LEI components has proven accurate on its own. Aggregating individual indicators into a composite index filters out so-called "noise" to show underlying trends more clearly.