The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the US increased slightly by 0.1% in May 2026 to 99.3 (2016=100), following a 0.2% increase in April. After these two consecutive increases, the LEI is down just 0.3% over the six months between November 2025 and May 2026, a much smaller rate of decline than its 1.3% contraction over the previous six months (May to November 2025). "The Leading Index for the US increased slightly in May, fueled entirely by positive contributions from financial components, especially stock prices and the interest rate spread," said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager, ... (full story)