OECD composite leading indicators (CLIs) for February 2010 continue to point to economic expansion, albeit at a different pace across countries and regions. Strongest signs of increasing economic activity were recorded in the United States and Japan, with a rise in CLI of 0.9 point in both countries.

At the same time, tentative signals of a slower pace in economic expansion are emerging in China where CLIs remained unchanged in the first two months of 2010. Similar, but weaker, signs of slower growth are also emerging in France and Italy.

Expansion in the United States



The CLI for the OECD area increased by 0.7 point in February 2010 and by 0.5 point in the Euro area.

The CLIs for India, Brazil and Russia recorded moderate increases, pushing the indicators close to, or above, their-long term levels.