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Regional Economic Notes

Schar School Stat: The Washington Leading Index

This piece ran in the Washington Business Journal in the Feb. 2, 2018 edition. The graphic was prepared by the Washington Business Journal using data supplied by the Institute.

The Washington Leading Index, which is designed to forecast the performance of the region’s economy six to eight months in advance, increased in November, gaining 3.8 percent from November 2016. The Leading Index has increased each month in 2017 and has accelerated significantly since September. The Index’s performance points to the Washington region’s economy continued growth through at least mid-year 2018. While the outlook for 2018 is good, the possibility of underperforming the forecast is larger than usual given the shadow of this year’s mid-term elections, federal budget uncertainty, and the natural slowing of this business cycle. Read the full report here.