A key measure of the US economy gained in January, fuelled by a pick-up in financial markets and manufacturing and signalling a continued recovery, dpa quoted a private research group as saying today. The New York-based Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators rose 0.3 per cent in January, the 10th straight monthly gain but less than the 0.5-per-cent rise economists had anticipated. The index, which gauges economic performance for the coming 3-6 months, rose 1.2 per cent in December and 1.1 per cent in November. It climbed an annualized 9.8 per cent over the past six months. Ken Goldstein, an economist at the Conference Board, said the gains suggested a "continued economic recovery at least through the spring." Gains in financial stocks and the manufacturing sector have helped drive the index higher, the research group said. Consumer confidence and a recovery in the housing sector had also been fuelling the gains, but less so in the last few months.
