Conference Board data suggests faster Mexican growth unlikely MEXICO CITY, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Mexico's Leading Economic Index dropped slightly in November, researchers at the Conference Board said Friday. The Conference Board said sharp declines in oil prices and net insufficient business inventories were negative contributors to the index in November. With November's decline of 0.1 percent to 123.5, the index has dropped 1.1 percent since May, which is an annual rate of about 2.2 percent. That is a dramatic turnaround from the previous six months, when the index was on an annual rate of increase of about 2.8 percent, the Conference Board said. The leading index is, essentially, a comparison to 2004, which was assigned a value of 100. While the leading economic index fell for the second consecutive month, the coincident economic index for Mexico, which measures current business conditions, increased modestly and is on a six-month growth trend that has been "fairly steady throughout the year," the research firm said. Taking both indexes into consideration, "suggests that the rate of economic activity is unlikely to accelerate in early 2014," the Conference Board said.