The Conference Board LEI for Australia increased slightly in December following a decline in November. Large gains in money supply* and the sales to inventory ratio* more than offset the negative contribution from the yield spread. The yield spread has been inverted for four months through December. With the gain in December, the leading economic index increased by 2.1 percent (about a 4.3 percent annual rate) over the second half of 2011, faster than the 1.6 percent increase (about a 3.3 percent annual rate) during the first half of the year. In addition, the strengths among the leading indicators have been slightly ... (full story)