A closely watched gauge of future US economic activity fell in September for the fourth straight month after a heady pace earlier in the year, a private research firm said today.
The Conference Board said its index of leading indicators fell 0.1 per cent in September to 115.6, beating Wall Street forecasts of a 0.2 per cent decline. The indicator fell 0.3 per cent in August.
"The weakness in the last four months has become more widespread," said Conference Board economist Mr Ken Goldstein.
However the declines were not large enough nor long enough to "signal an end to the current economic expansion, he said."