Economic Indicator Declines in November

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska (LEI-N) decreased by 0.59% in November 2013. This decline follows solid growth in the LEI-N during August and September, and weak growth during October. “Changes in the value of the LEI-N in recent months suggest moderate growth in the Nebraska economy during the first quarter of 2014 but that growth will slow during the second quarter,” said University of Nebraska-Lincoln economist Eric Thompson, director of the Bureau of Business Research.

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska is a composite of six components which predict future economic growth: single-family building permits, airline passenger counts, initial unemployment claims, manufacturing hours, the value of the U.S. dollar, and business expectations gathered from the Survey of Nebraska Business. According to Thompson, “airline passenger counts and manufacturing hours rose during November,“ Thompson added.

At the same time, there was an increase in initial unemployment claims during November and a decline in building permits for single-family homes. Business expectations also fell during November. Respondents to the Survey of Nebraska Businesses projected a decline in sales over the next six months."

The Leading Economic Indicator – Nebraska is produced by faculty and students in the Department of Economics and Bureau of Business Research within the UNL College of Business Administration.