The U.S. Weekly Leading Index (WLI) ticked down to 135.0 from 135.7. The growth rate edged up to 5.7% from 5.4%.

The U.S. economic slowdown is set to continue, as the latest WLI upturn is not sufficiently pronounced, pervasive and persistent – the three P’s – to qualify as a true cyclical upturn. Rather, it partly reflects the run-up in the markets as the early-2016 recession fears among the consensus faded, with the Fed backing off its rate hike plans, the dollar weakening, and some data beating significantly lowered expectations.



To put the economy in perspective please see links below:

- watch Lakshman Achuthan's interview with Tom Keene at Bloomberg TV.

- read ECRI's "Flawed Assumptions and Grand Experiments," presented by Lakshman Achuthan at the Levy Economics Institute’s 25th Annual Hyman P. Minsky Conference. Please follow this link to the presentation slides. 

For a closer look at recent moves in the U.S. Weekly Leading Index, please see the chart below: