U.S. leading indicators increased 0.1 per cent in July in what is seen as a positive sign for the economy, a research group said Thursday. The rise followed a surge in the leading indicators in June, marking the first time the index was up in consecutive months this year. Fewer jobless claims, stock price gains, consumer expectations and a rise in building permits all contributed to the increase of the leading-indicator index to 138.3 in July, the New York-based Conference Board said. The index gauges the likely performance of the U.S. economy in the next three to six months.
