WHAT: Rhode Island’s March economic performance was slightly better than it was in February, although both months had varying degrees of weather-related distortions. The Current Conditions Index for March reached 67, its highest value so far this year, as eight of the 12 indicators improved relative to their values from March 2014.
WHO: URI Professor of Economics Leonard Lardaro, creator and author of the Current Conditions Index.
WHEN: Monday, May 11, 2015
HOW: Use attached information, including summary and charts prepared by Lardaro for news reports. He is available for broadcast and print interviews. The new information and other historical information can also be found on Lardaro’s web site at http://www.llardaro.com/current.htm. Lardaro will be blogging about the new labor data during the coming weeks. You can find his discussion and charts at http://rieconomy.blogspot.com.
FOR INFORMATION: Leonard Lardaro, office, 401-874-4128, home, 401-783-9563
Dave Lavallee, URI Department of Communications and Marketing, 401-874-2116.
BACKGROUND: The Current Conditions Index, created by Lardaro, measures the strength of the present economic climate in Rhode Island by following the behavior of 12 indicators.