The Conference Board Leading Economic Index(TM) (LEI) for the U.K. Increases Again in August

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index(TM) (LEI) for the U.K. Increases
Again in August

BRUSSELS, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic
Index((TM)) (LEI) for the U.K. increased by 0.9 percent in August to 94.0
(2004 = 100), following gains of 0.5 percent in July and 1.1 percent in June.
Stock prices, the yield spread, volume of expected output and consumer
confidence made the largest positive contributions to the index.

Said Jean-Claude Manini, The Conference Board Senior Economist for Europe:
"Despite its fifth consecutive monthly increase, the improvement in the LEI
for the United Kingdom remains milder than that in the Euro Area LEI. The
recovery in economic activity in the U.K. is likely to arrive later and may be
even weaker than the recovery expected in the Euro Area in the near future."

The Conference Board LEI for the U.K. increased for a fifth consecutive month
in August after a long period of decline. At the same time, The Conference
Board Coincident Economic Index(TM) (CEI) for the U.K., a measure of current
economic activity, decreased 0.1 percent in August, after remaining unchanged
in both July and June. The index now stands at 102.3 (2004 = 100).

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

The seven components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index(TM) for
the U.K. include:

Order Book Volume (source: Confederation of British Industry)
Volume of Expected Output (source: Confederation of British Industry)
Consumer Confidence Indicator (source: European Commission)
FTSE All-Share Index (source: FTSE Group)
Yield Spread (source: Bank of England)
Productivity, Whole Economy (Office for National Statistics)
Total Gross Operating Surplus of Corporations (Office for National Statistics)

Plotted back to 1970, this index has successfully signaled turning points in
the U.K. business cycles. The Conference Board currently produces leading
economic indexes for the Euro Area and eight other countries, including the
U.S., Germany, France, Spain, Japan, Australia, Korea and Mexico.

To view The Conference Board calendar of 2009 indicator releases:
http://www.conference-board.org/economics/indicators.cfm

For more information: http://www.conference-board.org/economics/bci/

For full press release:
http://www.conference-board.org/economics/bci/pressRelease_output.cfm?cid=2

About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is an independent business membership and research
association working in the public interest. Our mission is unique: To provide
the world's leading organizations with the practical knowledge they need to
improve their performance and better serve society. The Conference Board is a
non-advocacy, not-for-profit entity holding 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in the
United States. www.conference-board.org.

Summary Table of Composite Economic Indexes

2009 6-month
Jun Jul Aug Feb to Aug

Leading Economic Index (LEI) 92.7 p 93.2 p 94.0 p
Percent Change 1.1 p 0.5 p 0.9 p 3.6
Diffusion 71.4 71.4 71.4 71.4
Coincident Economic Index (CEI) 102.4 p 102.4 p 102.3 p
Percent Change 0.0 p 0.0 p -0.1 p -0.6
Diffusion 75.0 87.5 50.0 50.0

n.a. Not available p Preliminary r Revised
Indexes equal 100 in 2004
Source: The Conference Board All Rights Reserved

SOURCE The Conference Board

The Conference Board Europe, Brussels: +32-2-675-5405 (main line), or Rosa
Correia, +32-2-679-5059, rosa.correia@conference-board.org, or
mailto:rosa.correira@conference-board.orgDerek Servais, +32-2-679-5054,
derek.servais@conference-board.org