Economic activity falls in February

? A yardstick of U.S. economic activity declined in February, reversing a four-month trend of gains, the Conference Board reported Thursday. The group’s economist said the drop signals a possible slowdown in consumer spending as fears of war and terrorism increase.

The Index of Leading Economic Indicators fell 0.4 percent in February from a month earlier to 111.1. The drop was in line with analysts’ expectations. The index measures where the overall U.S. economy is headed in the next three to six months. It stood at 100 in 1996, its base year.

Conference Board economist Ken Goldstein said the decline was “significant because, without more investment or export growth, consumption has been largely fueling the economy since the end of the recession.”

The Conference Board’s coincident index, which measures current economic activity, remained flat in February at 115.5.