The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.5 percent in September and now stands at 109.6 (2004=100), after increasing 1.0 percent in August and 0.9 percent in July.

"The improvement in the LEI has slowed somewhat in September, but the six-month average continues to strengthen," says Bart van Ark, Chief Economist at The Conference Board. "Both consumer and business confidence have rebounded notably in recent months, and may help stimulate retail sales in the upcoming holiday season. This suggests that while current economic conditions are still weak, there is good reason to believe that the Euro Area is past the bottom of the recession. A moderately positive growth rate of the Euro Area's GDP for 2014 seems most likely."

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index (CEI) for the Euro Area, which measures current economic activity, remained unchanged in September, according to preliminary estimates. The index now stands at 101.1 (2004 = 100)*. The CEI increased 0.1 percent in August and declined 0.1 percent in July.