By Ruth Mantell
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Signaling that economic growth could pick up in coming months, the leading economic index for the U.S. rose 0.5% in May to 101.7, the Conference Board said Thursday. "Recent data suggest the economy is finally moving up from a 2% growth trend to a more robust expansion," said Ken Goldstein, economist at the Conference Board, in a statement. The coincident index, which measures current conditions, rose 0.3% in May, while the lagging index grew 0.4%. For April, the LEI's growth was revised to 0.3% from a prior estimate of 0.4%.
