NEW YORK (AP) – A private research group says its gauge of future economic activity rose a slim 0.1 percent in January, significantly slower than in recent months as a measure of the housing market tumbled.

The rise in the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators was the seventh consecutive monthly advance.

But It was slower than the 0.8 percent rise in December and a 1.1 percent increase in November. Those had been the biggest increases since March.

The index can swing wildly from month to month. January's slowdown isn't necessarily a sign that economic growth will slacken over the next few months.

The leading indicators began moving sharply higher last fall as the stock market rallied, consumers spent more, the manufacturing sector grew steadily and the jobless rate dropped.

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