Leading economic index rises 0.2% in October

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
It's likely that the U.S. economy will continue to "modestly" expand through early 2013, the Conference Board said Wednesday as it reported that itsleading economic index rose 0.2% in October after increasing a downwardly revised 0.5% in September
A prior estimate for September pegged the increase at 0.6%
However, Hurricane Sandy and the outcome from fiscal cliff negotiations could impact growth, the Conference Board noted
October's result beat analysts' expectations of a 0.1% gain
The LEI is a weighted gauge of 10 indicators that are designed to signal business cycle peaks and troughs
Four of the 10 indicators made positive contributions in October, led by the interest-rate spread Meanwhile, four indicators made negative contributions, led by building permits
There were neutral readings on two manufacturing-related indicators