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leading indicators

American

[lee-ding] / ˈli dɪŋ /

plural noun

Economics.

data that reflect current economic conditions and can suggest future developments or fluctuations in the nation's economy: issued, usually monthly, by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis in the Commerce Department.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Even before the Iran conflict broke out, Moody’s machine-learning-based leading indicators had reflected a 49% chance of a recession beginning in the U.S. within the next 12 months.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

The bank said leading indicators suggest that monthly consumer inflation “firmed” in January, led by food prices, though the underlying upward trend in inflation is limited.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

Of the states that are likely to report results fairly rapidly, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan will be seen as leading indicators.

From Salon • Nov. 5, 2024

"But it always has taken a little time for changes in labour market slack to influence wage growth and some leading indicators remain encouraging."

From Reuters • Jul. 11, 2023

“You have leading indicators that suggest a recession is coming, and coincident indicators that suggest the economy is chugging along at a good pace,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide Life Insurance Co.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 11, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023