A new study by e-forecasting.com, Florida’s leading indicator (a measurement of economic activity) increased 0.4 percent in the month of October. Eight of the 10 components that go into calculating the index increased in September: unemployment claims, building permits, exports of manufactures, international tourism outlook, Floridians’ consumer sentiment, national stock prices, interest rate spread and the national technology index. The two that dropped were: weekly hours in manufacturing and Floridians’ consumer sentiment. The indicator projects the state’s six-month growth rate at 2.5 percent in October, up from 2.2 percent in September.
