Index of Leading Indicators Falls 0.2%

The index of leading U.S. economic indicators fell for the first time in longer than a year in June, as a decrease in building permits and hours worked restrained the measure, a private group said.

The 0.2% decline in the Conference Board’s gauge of the economy’s likely performance over the next three to six months follows a revised 0.4% rise in May. It’s the first decline since March 2003, when the index also declined 0.2%.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell 11,000 to 339,000, the Labor Department said in another report. The four-week moving average, a more stable measure, was 336,750, down from 339,250.