May 21, 2025
One set of economic indicators is pointing to a future economic slowdown
A forward-looking index of economic indicators put out by The Conference Board is flashing warning signs of “economic slowdown.”
The Leading Economic Index, or LEI, fell sharply in April by 1% after falling nearly that much in March. It was the largest one-month drop in more than two years. Joanne Hsu, director of Surveys of Consumers, told Marketplace that consumers are concerned about instability in their own finances,
We already have consumers telling us that their incomes are weakening. Two-thirds of consumers expecting unemployment rates to go up, and so the strong incomes that supported consumer spending after the pandemic, that’s just not the case anymore.