The survey picture was mixed in the euro zone, where
seven countries were now "pointing toward a positive change in
momentum" while the region's overall reading dipped marginally.
The OECD said its leading indicator pointed to a
"positive change ... for the OECD area as a whole, driven primarily by the
United States and Japan, but similar signs are beginning to emerge in a number
of other developed economies."
The reading, which seeks to flag turning points, improved
for the OECD group of industrialized economies as a whole, rising 0.2 points in
December to 100.4, versus its long-term average of 100.
India and Russia showed evidence of improvement while
encouraging signs that appeared a month or two previously in Japan and the
United States were confirmed, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development said.
The US reading rose for a third month running, this time
by 0.7 points to 102.0, while the Japan reading, which stopped dropping three
months earlier, rose 0.2 points to 101.9 in December.
India's reading rose 0.6 points even if, at 95.6 in
December, it was still well below its long-term average. Russia's reading rose
0.2 to 102.4.
The readings for China, Brazil and the euro area
continued to drop, however, with China down 0.5 points at 99.3, Brazil down 0.1
at 93.7 and the euro zone down 0.1 as well at 98.3.
