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April 19, 2010 10:00 AM, EDT

An index of leading economic indicators improved by 1.4% in March by the most in 10 months, the New York-based Conference Board said Monday.

The LEI’s increase followed a revised 0.4% gain in February, the group said.

The upturn was higher than the 1.1% increase economists had forecast, Bloomberg reported.

The LEI is closely watched by trucking companies because it forecasts business activity for the next three to six months.