Glossary term
The Conference Board
The Conference Board is a nonprofit research organization known for business-cycle indicators and executive research.
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What Is The Conference Board?
The Conference Board is a nonprofit research organization that produces economic indicators, business research, and executive-focused analysis. In financial markets, it is especially known for its business-cycle indicators and consumer confidence data.
The organization publishes indexes that investors, economists, business leaders, and policymakers use to monitor the direction of the economy. Its U.S. Leading Economic Index, Coincident Economic Index, and Lagging Economic Index are among its best-known economic releases.
Key Takeaways
- The Conference Board is a nonprofit business and economic research organization.
- It publishes widely followed business-cycle indicators.
- Its indexes include leading, coincident, and lagging measures of economic activity.
- Its consumer confidence work is also closely watched by markets.
- The organization's data are useful, but each index should be read with its methodology and components in mind.
What It Publishes
The Conference Board's business-cycle indicators are designed to summarize economic timing. Leading indicators aim to turn before the economy. Coincident indicators move with current conditions. Lagging indicators confirm patterns after they have begun.
The organization also conducts surveys and research on topics such as consumer attitudes, labor markets, productivity, corporate governance, and management trends. For market readers, the economic indexes are usually the most visible part of its work.
Commonly Watched Releases
Release or index | What readers use it for |
|---|---|
Leading Economic Index | Assessing near-term business-cycle risk. |
Coincident Economic Index | Tracking current economic activity. |
Lagging Economic Index | Confirming past economic turns. |
Consumer Confidence Index | Reading household attitudes about jobs, income, and business conditions. |
Economic Research Context
The Conference Board matters because it packages multiple data points into structured indicators that are easier to follow than dozens of separate releases. That is helpful when the economy is sending mixed signals.
The limits are the same as with any index provider. Methodology choices, component revisions, survey design, and data lags can affect the signal. The strongest use is comparative: reading the indexes alongside official government data, market prices, and company commentary.
For investors, businesses, and policy readers, the institution matters less as a brand and more as a source of structured economic signals. When a release cites The Conference Board, the next question is usually which index is being discussed and whether it is leading, coincident, lagging, or survey-based.
The Bottom Line
The Conference Board is a major source of business-cycle and consumer-confidence indicators. Its releases help frame economic momentum, but the real value comes from understanding what each index measures and how it fits with other data.