The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for Mexico increased 0.5 percent in August to 125.1 (2004 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in July, and a 1.5 percent decline in June.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for Mexico, a measure of current economic activity, increased 0.2 percent in August to 123.5 (2004 = 100), following a 0.2 percent increase in July and no change in June.

The LEI for Mexico increased in both July and August, but its six-month growth continued to slow and has become more negative. On the other hand, the CEI for Mexico increased slightly in August, and its six-month growth rate has picked up somewhat compared to the first half of this year. Despite the slight improvement in the growth of the CEI, continued widespread weakness in the LEI in recent months suggest that economic conditions are unlikely to improve considerably through the end of 2013.