NEW YORK, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The Center for International Business Cycle Research (CIBCR)
said on Friday its U.S. leading inflation index rose for the sixth consecutive month, to a reading of
109.6 in December, from a downwardly revised 108.3 in November.
''The Leading Inflation Index continued to gain strength on higher reading for components almost
across the board,'' the report said.
The report attributed the surge in the index to pressures arising from the Employment Population Ratio, industrial materials
prices, the National Association of Purchasing Managers' (NAPM) prices paid by producers, and slower deliveries by
vendors in NAPM's December report.
The six-month smooth growth rate, at 10.1 percent, hit a six-year high, last reached in late 1994. The growth rate was 8.9
percent in November, upwardly revised from the 5.4 percent originally reported.
The rate of change is a ratio of the current month's index to its average over the preceding 12 months, expressed as a
compound annual rate.
November's inflation figure was originally reported at 109.1. |
