Indicators show economy strong

NEW YORK (AP) -- A key forecasting gauge rose a solid 0.3 percent in January to yet another record high, signaling that the nation's record economic expansion will continue well into the year.

The Conference Board said today that its Index of Leading Economic Indicators increased to 106.4 percent in January. The 0.3 percent rise matched the increases of the previous two months and was in line with Wall Street analysts' expectations.

The strong performance of the index during the last three months suggests that the economy maintained significant momentum in the first month of 2000, said Ken Goldstein, the economist of the business-financed research group.