Leading indicators signal slowdown: OECD

Most major economies face signs of slowing

Rear view of traffic jam with breaklights showing

As financial conditions tighten, the latest readings point to slowing growth in most major markets, the OECD says.

The OECD’s composite leading indicators (CLIs) — which use a collection of forward-looking indicators such as order books, building permits and confidence indexes to anticipate turning points in economic trends — signal a slowdown in the OECD overall and in most of its major economies.

“Among large OECD economies, the CLIs continue to anticipate a loss of growth momentum in Canada, the U.K. and the U.S., as well as in the euro area as a whole, including France, Germany and Italy,” the organization said in a release.

Among the developed markets, only Japan’s CLIs are signalling stable growth, the Paris-based group noted.

And, in the major emerging markets, the CLIs for China now indicate a loss of growth momentum, the OECD reported. Brazil is facing slowing momentum, but India’s data points to stable growth.