India's LEI rises, CEI slumps in May amid mixed economic signals
Over the six-month period from November 2024 to May 2025, the LEI grew by 1.2 per cent—an improvement from the 0.2 per cent increase seen in the prior six months, as per the latest data from The Conference Board.
India's LEI rose 0.4 per cent in May 2025, following a 1.2 per cent gain in April, indicating improving future economic prospects, according to The Conference Board. Over six months, the LEI grew 1.2 per cent. However, the CEI, reflecting current conditions, fell 5.7 per cent in May. India's GDP is expected to grow by around 6.3 per cent in 2025, supported by financial momentum.
In contrast, the Coincident Economic Index (CEI), which reflects current economic conditions, fell sharply by 5.7 per cent in May to 147.6, more than reversing April's 5.3 per cent gain. The CEI contracted by 2.4 per cent over the latest six-month period, compared to a 0.6 per cent decline in the previous half-year, indicating ongoing weakness in real-time economic performance.
'The LEI for India increased in May, after being heavily revised upward in April . Financial variables drove the Index in May, with the largest positive contribution coming from a second month of rising stock prices. The merchandise export declined in May after surging in April,' said Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, senior manager, Business Cycle Indicators, at The Conference Board. 'Thanks to the two consecutive monthly gains in the leading index, its six-month growth moved higher into positive territory, implying that the growth tailwinds are likely to last in the second half of 2025. Therefore, and taking also into account the stronger than expected gross domestic product (GDP) growth in Q1 and the recent easing of monetary policy, The Conference Board forecasts that India's real GDP will grow at about 6.3 per cent in 2025, only slightly slower than in 2024.'
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
7 hours ago
- Economic Times
Two Trades for Today: A fertilizers and chemicals stock for almost 7% gain, a mid-cap tile maker for 6% rise
The markets continued to consolidate in a defined range and closed with a modest loss on Wednesday. The Nifty opened positively, but ended up forming the high point of the day in the early minutes of the session. It soon slipped into the negative territory and traded with capped losses in the first half of the session. The markets weakened in the second half but eventually recovered from their low point. The headline Index closed with a net loss FONT SIZE SAVE PRINT COMMENT
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Xiaomi to consider selling cars outside China from 2027, CEO says
BEIJING: China 's Xiaomi will only consider selling cars outside China from 2027, Lei Jun , CEO of the smartphone turned electric vehicle maker, said during a livestream on Wednesday. The company has to focus on its domestic market in the meantime given robust orders for its SU7 and YU7 cars, he said. Xiaomi had earlier mentioned 2027 as the first year for potential overseas shipments of its EVs. The electric SU7 sedan has outsold Tesla's Model 3 on a monthly basis since December and the YU7 sports utility vehicle received robust orders in the first 18 hours after it went on sale last Thursday. Xiaomi was telling YU7 customers that they will have to wait more than a year to pick up their cars, sparking a fresh wave of complaints against the company, Reuters reported on Monday. Many commentators asked about the long waiting times and production ramp-up during the livestream, but Lei offered no clues. "We'll strive to ramp up capacity," Lei said, without elaborating.
Fibre2Fashion
12 hours ago
- Fibre2Fashion
Trump optimistic about India-US trade deal with 'much less tariffs'
Expressing optimism about finalising a trade agreement with India that would lower tariffs and allow US companies greater access to the Indian market, President Donald Trump yesterday said New Delhi is prepared to reduce taxes for US firms that could pave the way for a deal that could avert the 26-per cent tariff rate he announced on April 2. Though Trump suspended the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a 10-per cent baseline duty continues to be in effect. The US tariff relaxation ends on July 9. Expressing optimism about finalising a trade deal with India that would lower tariffs and allow US firms greater access to the Indian market, President Donald Trump yesterday said New Delhi is prepared to reduce taxes for US firms that could pave the way for a deal, averting the 26-per cent tariff rate. His comments followed reports about talks hitting a stalemate over key agricultural demands. "I think we are going to have a deal with India. And that is going to be a different kind of deal. It is going to be a deal where we are able to go in and compete. Right now, India doesn't accept anybody. I think India is going to do that and if they do that, we're going to have a deal for less, much less tariffs," the US President was quoted as telling reporters aboard Air Force One by global newswires. His comments followed media reports about negotiations hitting a stalemate over key agricultural demands. The Indian delegation, led by special secretary Rajesh Agrawal of the department of commerce, has extended its stay in Washington, D.C, to finalise the deal. According to Indian media reports, New Delhi has hardened its stance against granting duty concessions to American farm products, while seeking tariff cuts for its labour-intensive exports like textiles, engineering goods, leather and gems and jewellery. The United States is pressing for duty concessions on agricultural items, including dairy, apples, tree nuts and genetically-modified crops, as well as on industrial goods, automobiles, wines and petrochemical products. India has not opened its dairy sector in any free trade pact till now. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
