[] () a measure of economic activity that changes before the economy begins to follow a particular pattern and helps to show what the economy is going to do 领先指标；先行指标◆Jobs figures are closely watched as they are considered a good leading indicator of consumer demand. 就业资料之所以受到密切关注，是因为它们被看作是消费需求的有效领先指标。➡coincident indicator , lagging indicator