Global Leading Indicators

About the Leading Economic Index and the Coincident Economic Index:

The Leading Economic Index provides an early indication of significant turning points in the business cycle and where the economy is heading in the near term. The Coincident Economic Index provides an indication of the current state of the economy. Additional details are below.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^®(LEI) for South Korea decreased by 0.2 percent in April 2024 to 107.4 (2016=100), after an upwardly revised decrease of 0.2 percent in March. Despite these two consecutive monthly declines, the LEI increased by 1.9 percent over the six-month period between October 2023 and April 2024, a faster pace than the 1.1 percent growth over the previous six-month period.

The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index^® (CEI) for South Korea increased by 1.1 percent to 108.0 (2016=100) in April 2024, partially offsetting the 1.5 percent decline in March. Over the six-month period between October 2023 and April 2024, the CEI increased by 0.6 percent, following a slightly higher growth rate of 0.8 percent over the previous six-month period.

“The South Korea LEI decreased in April,” said Malala Lin, Economic Research Associate, at The Conference Board. “This decrease was driven by negative contributions from most components of the index, including financial components that supported the LEI in recent months. Despite the March and April declines, the six-month and annual growths remained solid. Overall, this suggests that, after the strong first quarter, the economy will continue to expand this year but potentially at a slower pace.”

The South Korea LEI Decreased Slightly in April

The April decline in the LEI was driven by weakness in most components except for private construction orders and the inventories-to-shipment index

The annual growth rate of the South Korea LEI rebounded in April

About The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for South Korea

The composite economic indexes are the key elements in an analytic system designed to signal peaks and troughs in the business cycle. The indexes are constructed to summarize and reveal common turning points in the economy in a clearer and more convincing manner than any individual component. The CEI is highly correlated with real GDP. The LEI is a predictive variable that anticipates (or “leads”) turning points in the business cycle by 3 months. Shaded areas denote recession periods or economic contractions. The dates above the shaded areas show the chronology of peaks and troughs in the business cycle.

The six components of The Conference Board Leading Economic Index^® for South Korea include: Stock Prices, Yield of Government Public Bonds, Exports FOB, Value of Machinery Orders, Index of Inventories to Shipments, Private Construction Orders.

To access data, please visit: https://data-central.conference-board.org/

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers Trusted Insights for What’s Ahead™. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. ConferenceBoard.org