BRUSSELS, Nov. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for France increased 0.6 percent in September to 114.9 (2004 = 100), following a 0.6 percent increase in August, and a 0.3 percent increase in July.

At the same time, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for France, a measure of current economic activity, declined 0.1 percent in September to 104.3 (2004 = 100), following no change in both August and July.

The LEI for France has increased throughout the third quarter of 2012, following a small decline during the second quarter, and its six-month growth rate remains positive. During the past year, the CEI for France has been relatively flat, with real GDP showing a similar trend. The recent behavior of the composite indexes suggests that the economy is unlikely to grow at anything more than a slow pace in the near term.

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for France
The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The leading and coincident economic indexes are essentially composite averages of several individual leading or coincident indicators. They are constructed to summarize and reveal common turning point patterns in economic data in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component – primarily because they smooth out some of the volatility of individual components.

The seven components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® for France include:

Yield Spread, 10 year minus Day-Day Loan
Stock Price SBF 250 Index
Building Permits, residential
New Unemployment Claims
Industrial New Orders
Production Expectations
Ratio Deflator of Manufacturing Value Added to Unit Labor Cost

For more information including full press release and technical notes:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bcicountry.cfm?cid=3

For more information about The Conference Board global business cycle indicators:
http://www.conference-board.org/data/bci.cfm

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.

SOURCE The Conference Board