OECD says economic prospects improve

Continued economic expansion is likely, but the pace of growth in the United States and the euro area shows slight signs of weakening…

Continued economic expansion is likely, but the pace of growth in the United States and the euro area shows slight signs of weakening, according to the OECD's latest "early warning" indicator.

The OECD said its April leading indicator rose 0.3 points to 124.0 from 123.7 in March for the OECD as a whole.

"Continued expansion lies ahead in the OECD area," the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said. "However, April data signal slightly weakening performance in the United States and the Euro area."

The headline index for the United States rose to 134.0 in April from a downwardly revised 133.5 in March, while the index for the euro zone increased to 123.2 from 122.8 previously.

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But another index called the six-month rate of change fell for a third month in a row to 6.2 in April versus 6.9 in March for the entire OECD area. This index dipped in all G7 powers expect Japan, where it edged up.

The headline index rose in all of the G7 powers except Italy, where it fell to 107.3 from 107.7, and in Britain, where it eased to 109.0 from 109.1. The G7 include the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Italy and Britain.