Washington - A key gauge of US economic performance rose in October for the fourth straight month, a private research group said Thursday, at a pace that suggests the world's largest economy could be picking up a little steam. The New York-based Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators climbed 0.5 per cent to 111.3 in October, after rising 0.5 per cent in September and 0.1 per cent in August.
The improvement comes ahead of the critical US holiday season and as the Federal Reserve announced a controversial plan to buy 600 billion dollars in Treasury securities to help prop up the economy.
Ken Goldstein, an economist with the Conference Board, said the index was rising at a faster pace in recent months that would suggest 'change may be around the corner.'
