“benchmark revisions to the composite indexes. The indexes are updated throughout the year, but only for the previous six months. Every January, data revisions that fall outside of the moving six-month window are incorporated when the benchmark revision is made and the entire histories of the indexes are recomputed. As a result, the revised indexes and their month-over-month changes will no longer be directly comparable to those issued prior to the benchmark revision”

From the release today:

  • Gains from the yield spread, building approvals, and money supply more than offset the negative contribution from stock prices.
  • Between May and November 2013, the leading economic index increased 1.0 percent (about a 2.1 percent annual rate), slower than the growth of 1.5 percent (about a 3.1 percent annual rate) for the previous six months. Nevertheless, the strengths among the leading indicators have remained more widespread than the weaknesses in recent months.
  • Six of the seven components in The Conference Board LEI for Australia increased in November. The positive contributors to the index — in order from the largest positive contributor to the smallest — are the yield spread, building approvals, money supply*, the sales to inventories ratio*, gross operating surplus*, and rural goods exports. Share prices declined in November.
  • All four components in The Conference Board CEI (Coincident index) for Australia increased in November. The increases – in order from the largest positive contributor to the smallest – occurred in retail trade, employed persons, household gross disposable income*, and industrial production