Conference Boards Index

Conference Boards index: The Conference Boards index, a gauge of the outlook for the next three to six months, rose 0.8 percent, the most since November, after a 0.5 percent gain in February, the New York-based group said today. The measures 6.1 percent advance over the past year is the biggest since July 2011, according to Bloomberg. The fewest firings since before the last recession are helping lift consumer confidence this month, which probably means recent gains in spending can be sustained. Todays report also showed access to credit continues to thaw, making it more likely that the rebound in housing, which has showed signs of cooling, can be revived and An improving job market and increasing factory production in March contributed to a jump in the U.S. index of leading indicators that signals the pace of economic growth is poised to snap back. The fact that we re seeing some broad improvement across components bodes pretty well for the economy, said Sarah House, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte , North Carolina , which is the best forecaster of the leading index over the past two years, according to data compiled by . The underlying pace of activity is picking up. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.