The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® (LEI) for China increased 0.9 percent in September. The index stands at 271.8 (2004 = 100), following a 0.8 percent increase in August and a 1.4 percent increase in July. Four of the six components contributed positively to the index in September.

Says Andrew Polk, resident economist at The Conference Board China Center in Beijing: "Relatively strong credit expansion in September along with a bounce back in real estate activity helped to support LEI growth this month. However, weaker growth in current activity indicates that the 3^rd quarter recovery from the slowdown earlier this year has already begun to lose some steam. Continued reliance on policy-driven growth, rather than a fundamental resurgence in real economic activity, will likely lead to a slower economic expansion in the fourth quarter and into the beginning of 2014."  

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^® (CEI) for China, which measures current economic activity, increased 0.2 percent in September to 248.9 (2004 = 100), following a 1.2 percent increase in August and a 1.1 percent increase in July. Four of the five components contributed positively to the index in September.

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.