Leading Economic Indicators for 25 Countries

For further information:
Robert McGuckin
The Conference Board
(212) 339-0303
For Immediate Release Release #4481 A

THE CONFERENCE BOARD TEAMS WITH FIBER TO PROVIDE LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS FOR 25 COUNTRIES

Globalized Indexes Will Expand Forecasting Capabilities

April 14, 1999 -- The Conference Board, which produces the Leading Economic Indicators in the U.S., announced today an agreement with the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research (FIBER) to provide leading economic indexes for 25 countries.

The Conference Board became producer of the U.S. leading economic indicators in 1995, the first time the U.S. government had privatized an official statistical series.

The new agreement brings to The Conference Board the expertise of world-class scholar Victor Zarnowitz, Director of Research at FIBER. He will work with The Conference Board to adapt 13 existing indexes now produced by FIBER (Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K.) and help The Board to develop new indicators for 12 countries among the following: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, the Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Turkey.

Countries are to be selected on the adequacy of their underlying data and on how appropriate the leading indicator concept is to their national economies.

"These indexes will be the principal assets of a new Global Indicators Research Institute in The Conference Board's Economics Program," says Robert McGuckin, The Conference Board's Director of Economic Research. "The Institute will also seek out local partners in each of the 25 countries to cooperate in research, dissemination, and interpretation of the new business cycle indexes."

The globalization of the indicators program will aid both private and public forecasters.

"The alliance formed by The Conference Board and the Foundation for International Business and Economic Research will significantly expand our ability to analyze and forecast economic trends in major economies," notes Zarnowitz. "The two organizations will produce high-quality data that will satisfy the analytical and forecasting needs of business, government and academia."

-30-

Visit The Conference Board's Website at www.conference-board.org