MarketWatch (01/26/12) Ruth Mantell
The Conference Board reports that its index of leading economic indicators grew 0.4% in December, led by the interest-rate spread and jobless claims, compared with growth of 0.2% in November. “Looking ahead, the big question remains whether cooling conditions elsewhere will limit domestic growth or, conversely, growth in the U.S. will lend some economic support to the rest of the globe,” says Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein. Economists had expected a December gain of 0.9%.