U.S. Leading Economic Index Falls Much More Than Expected In August

(RTTNews) - Leading U.S. economic indicators fell by much more than expected in the month of August, according to a report released by the Conference Board on Thursday.

The Conference Board said its leading economic index slid by 0.5 percent in August after inching up by a revised 0.1 percent in July.

Economists had expected the leading economic index to edge down by 0.1 percent, matching the dip originally reported for the previous month.

"In August, the US LEI registered its largest monthly decline since April 2025, signaling more headwinds ahead," said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board.

"Among its components, only stock prices and the Leading Credit Index supported the LEI in August and over the past six months," she added. "Meanwhile, the contribution of the yield spread turned slightly negative for the first time since April."

The Conference Board said the leading economic index tumbled by 2.8 percent over the six months between February and August 2025, a faster rate of decline than the 0.9 percent contraction over the previous six-month period.

At the same time, the report said the coincident economic index rose by 0.2 percent in August after inching up by 0.1 percent in July, while the lagging economic index crept up by 0.1 percent in August after coming in unchanged in July.