Gauge of US economy's health edges up 0.2 percent

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Washington • A measure of the U.S. economy's health increased in October, suggesting consumers and businesses mostly shrugged off the 16-day partial government shutdown.

The Conference Board says its index of leading indicators rose 0.2 percent in October to a reading of 97.5. It was the sixth gain in seven months and followed large gains in the previous two months.

The index is designed to signal economic conditions over the next three to six months. The steady gains point to improvement, although the index is comprised of indicators that have already been released individually.