India's LEI rises slightly in March amid signs of slowing growth: TCB
India's Coincident Economic Index (CEI) increased by 3.8 per cent in March to 147.7, partially recovering after the steep drop of 6.8 per cent in February. The Index expanded by 2.6 per cent over the past six-month period ending in March 2025, a much faster rate than the 0.9 per cent growth over the previous six months, The Conference Board said in a press release.
India's Leading Economic Index (LEI) rose by 0.1 per cent to 158.7 in March 2025, while the Coincident Economic Index (CEI) jumped by 3.8 per cent to 147.7, according to The Conference Board. Despite slight improvements, sluggish LEI growth signals near-term challenges. India's GDP is forecast to slow to 5.9 per cent in 2025, down from 6.6 per cent in 2024.
'The LEI for India ticked up in March. The marginal gain reflects continued improvements in money supply and the interest rate spread, which offset the negative contributions from the other LEI components. Both the six-month and annual growth rates picked up slightly in March, however, they have not recovered all the lost momentum since October of 2024,' said Malala Lin, economic research associate, at The Conference Board . 'These sluggish growth rates for the LEI may indicate economic challenges in the near-term. In line with this, The Conference Board currently forecasts that India's real GDP will moderate after a strong Q1 and slow to 5.9 per cent growth in 2025 from 6.6 per cent in 2024.'
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